Yes, a lot of the first world off loads its garbage onto the third world and these developing countries, in turn, generate just as much of their own garbage. Garbage that usually ends up in toxic/illegal landfills, into various waterways, or floating out into the ocean only to become a part of the humongous island garbage patches dotted around the globe.
In my case, nothing served as a more startling example of the waste we collectively generate than the local city dump. Occasionally, to get rid of old furniture and other random stuff, we've made trips to such a place as this, which allows you to drop off old junk in a giant dumping ground for a small fee. Even for the modest town I live in, this local dump, which is privately ran and is only one out of a couple for this area, has always had a literal mountain of garbage tens of feet high, by tens of feet long. It's sheltered in a very large half-open warehouse and there's always so much garbage there that it's practically touching the ceiling high above. And yet this is a normal amount of garbage collection for them. One that replicates itself week after week without fail. And they're not even the official dump for the city, which means that massive amount of garbage I've seen constitutes only a fraction of that actually generated by this city. And then, when you try to broaden the picture, every city, large or small, generates its own sizable amount of trash. Think how much trash a place like New York must create on a daily basis. Enough to fill hundreds, if not thousands, of warehouses like the kind I described above. Go bigger and think of the trash generated by entire countries, or entire continents. All the oceans of garbage and waste flowing out from our daily activity. And this happens every single moment, every single week, every single month, every single year. It's truly mind boggling. How we're not somehow buried in it up to our necks by now is astonishing.
I'm reminded of a joke by Bill Burr, when he remarks on the highly accurate, but not often thought about fact, that everything we've ever used is somewhere. Think about your entire life and everything you've ever donated or thrown away. All that stuff is somewhere out there. Crushed beneath a landfill, or floating out in the ocean, or, just maybe, is being used by someone else. It's crazy to think about, isn't it? The history of people's trash. Those both alive and dead have all left their mark in this way.
I can't help, but notice how in every single house, down every single street, and in every obscure little corner of human habitation; people are using things, throwing things away, buying new things, gobbling up electricity to heat their homes in the winter or cool them in the summer, ordering take-out, driving their cars, making plans for international trips which involve air travel, or other things they'd like to do which requires enormous fossil fuel energy. In every major city, at every single moment of the day, people go to stores, they shop, they dine out, they go to the movies, they mingle at nightclubs, they go to amusements parks and take in all the lurid sights they can. And all this happens. Every. Single. Day. Year upon year. I mean, just think of how this already has happened for decades now. From Chicago, to Tokyo, to Melbourne, to Toronto. Every single day. Every single night. How in the hell has it managed to go on for this long? With that much energy and resources being used by so many people, in so many places. By rights, it should have all collapsed within a week, yet it's been chugging along for decades now without stopping. Quite the opposite, it's only grown and grown. It makes me realize just how much there is in nature. How much energy to be exploited, how many animals there are to be slaughtered, how many other resources there are to be extracted. And that, as of now, we've squeezed and consumed every last drop out of it. Resources that could have lasted centuries, if not millennia, assuming they were properly managed, with far less people around to need them in the first place (at least less than a billion). Instead, we've taken all of it and stuffed into every belching furnace we could, simply to keep the infernal engine running. Hotels, restaurants, high price getaway resorts, luxury cruises, casinos, and whatever other bullshit you can think of. All so as to keep the lights on and the music booming in every single city across the world, and doubly so for the major ones. Like I said, it's just staggering to me that it's all lasted this long.
For better or worse, the world is unknown to me. In my case, I've been a hermit for nearly 15 years. I've never partied, or traveled, or done anything at all except sit quietly in my room. A tidy and well kept dungeon of near perpetual darkness, with garbage bags and thick cardboard taped over every window, leaving me lost behind my own wall of near perfect isolation. All I can do is sit with myself, stewing in morbid self-attention or mulling over any number of other equally dreary topics. Too much time spent thinking about all the things I'd rather not think about. One such common thought would be whether or not anything else will ever make itself known to me, or if all that I've come to realize is all there will ever be. Perhaps hedonism is really all there is. Perhaps matters of pleasure, for whatever form that might take for each individual, really are the only point to life. Sometimes I wonder that, if the world is going to die anyway, you might as well get drunk and party like there's no tomorrow and experience as much as you can before it's gone. If this is true, as I sometimes think to myself, then I suppose I've truly failed in my life. I haven't enjoyed myself and I have nothing, even on the most base level, that could warrant my time spent rotting on this planet. No good memories, no traveling anywhere, no having unique experiences. I've been as good as dead from the day I was born. Everything I've seen outside my window or through my computer screen, might as well be like pictures in a book. A faint two dimensional shadow of something that can never be anything more than what it is. Resting in my imagination only, but not even passing as a figment of the real thing. I'm a pale imitation of life. One that wishes I could have at least gotten something out of all this, as bad as it is, despite knowing in my heart that I never will.
ADDITIONAL EDIT BELOW:
Thanks for all the info. I hadn't considered some of what was mentioned here and it's given me more to think about. The world is, indeed, a large place and thus affords a copious amount of room for our trash. I'll admit that I wasn't aware of how efficiently garbage can, sometimes, be disposed of. Then again, in a world where a large amount of the air, food, water, and earth is poisoned, I suppose it doesn't much matter in the end how much or how little garbage it is that we actually generate. Well, like I said, it's still staggering to me how long this has gone on for. Consumerism, starting from 1945 and onwards, has been around for a little over 75 years now and, with it, most of our modern conveniences. That's nothing when compared against the rest of human history, let alone the deep time of the natural world, but I don't know. Like I said, it's dubiously amazing to me that it all even lasted a month. The fact that our current arrangements can last longer than a week at most, is even more dubiously amazing.
As for myself, I've accepted my lot in life. For what little that amounts to, I suppose. Not everyone has a taste for life, or is cut out for actually living as one would ordinarily expect. It's a sad thing, but as long as humans have been around for, there have been people like me who have puttered about in their dreary existences. Those who've just sort of trudged through life carried by their own prior inertia and fear of death. Tens of millions have come and gone who have found themselves in this predicament and, to this day, there are still those condemned to do the same. I'm just another regrettable example of it. It's not fine, but I accept it. I am what I am and, for better or worse, no one should deny who it is they truly are. Even if who they are only brings them pain and puts them apart from nearly every living thing on the planet. That's how it is, but I guess it doesn't stop me from complaining about it, as I've unfortunately done here, so apologies for that.
If there are self-made purgatories, then we all have to live in them. Mine can be no worse than someone else's.
Also, for what it's worth, I'm actually a pretty healthy individual. I engage in at-home exercises, have an extremely clean diet, and take Vitamin D and pro-biotic supplements. I do the laundry, I keep my room exceptionally clean, and, along with my mother, I keep our home well kept and decent. Believe it or not, but these are all things I've done for many years now. And you know what? I still feel the way it is I feel. Garbage bags over the windows and everything. Last year, as a matter of fact, I did enough work around this house to have kept at least 3 separate contractors busy for weeks, but, at the end of the day, I was still left with what I otherwise was. I operated a jackhammer and single-handedly cleared away tonnes and tonnes of old concrete that had been blighting our property for years, only to then do the back breaking work of disposing of it as well. I painted our entire fence, I painted and re-sanded our old deck, and I cleaned up the basement, the garage and the shed from top to bottom. It's partly thanks to what I did that we have a brand new driveway now, since I got the ball rolling on it and significantly reduced the cost through my efforts. But, in the end, I didn't do these things because I was ever asked to do them, but to silence the madness in my mind and to briefly make an escape from my isolation.
I didn't have to do these things, but I needed to all the same. Anything to make the pain inside my heart/mind stop, if only for a little while. Like modern media before I was stricken with anhedonia, these tasks were essentially a form of escapism for me. An escapism used to briefly evade experiencing my own empty existence. I don't know what's wrong with me, but, whatever it is, it's been with me all my life. Aside from my mother, and occasionally my older brother when he comes to visit, I speak with no one. I have no friends and, frankly, I have no idea how to make them. This is as true for the digital world, as it is for the flesh and blood one. I don't know what to do about whatever it is I am, but, as hard as it's been, I've tried to accept that this might just be who I was always destined to be. Plus, it's been so many years now. So many years of this. You fall down a hole long enough and, sooner or later, you can't imagine any other way to be. Well, again, it'd just been nice to get something out of all this, this whole civilization thing, besides just being a hermit. I guess in the age of COVID, that's what everyone's encouraged to be anyway. It's like Junji Ito's Army of One made manifest. Who'd have ever thought.

RR link
Previous chapter (RETRO COSMOS)
​ #2 - THE TWISTED HEIST ​
A star had just gone out in the distance, sending its entire system, planets and moons, into oblivion. So, what was a simple life compared to a sun? Did the human existence that earthlings highly cherished in the past deserve so much fuss?
I would say no, of course, because I’m a cat. Our condition to us felines will never have to pale in front of a shiny astronomical object. Mine specifically, don’t you think?
Oswald Avery was merely a Homo sapiens. A retired buccaneer, fermenting his adulterated wine on the carcass of a drifting supercargo; all under the remodeled features of a former Galactic Trade Company’s pilot. Alas, regardless of the genetic disguise, the FID rarely lied. It hadn’t fooled us and the masks had fallen off. Just like him.
I’m such a poet.
Anyway… Avery had had a long life of crimes and adventures. He was full of energy in his youth. And as in the universe, nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed, this energy was reincarnated in a nice amount in our bank account once the old picaroon flatlined.
“We finally got it! And it was a traditional Martian contract. Payable remotely, on condition that the FID is validated. How about that?”
“God… Lee … you’re talking to yourself and it’s only 8 a.m.,” Ali grunted behind me.
My couch potato of an associate had her head still stuck in the cereal box she was nibbling before falling asleep binge-watching Captain Caveman on ABC.
“To begin with, it’s 8 p.m., Martian Time. And we do have a positive balance in our bank account for the first time in months! Do you know what that means, partner?”
“Shopping, bitches!” she shouted as she hurled herself into the void, gliding to the bathroom in the weightlessness.
With the cardboard box on the top of her head, this sugar bishop was swimming after the remnant cereals that floated on her path like Ms. Pac-Man.
“Hell! Have I just opened Pandora’s box?”
The liner Danaë and its forty-eight post-nuclear Baltimore-XVIII heavy reactors made its annual cruise from Lunapolis to the suburbs of Ceres, in the belt. Its figurehead with the effigy of the Greek princess was a two hundred meters long, green ceramic statue. The size of the ship exceeded some inhabited asteroids’ diameter so it possessed its own substantial gravitational field.
“It’s quite a symbol of the decline of humanity,” I said to Ali, pointing with my chin at this unique work of art.
“Why?” my partner asked without caring whatsoever. “Spill the beans, Plato.”
The Kitty had obtained permission to dock and began its approach. I concluded then:
“Humanity no longer erects great and beautiful things without turning them into a shopping mall.”
The gold and ivory Danaë was one of the most luxurious epicenters of human decadence in the system; comprising hotels, casinos, megastores and amusement parks spread over a dozen centrifugal rings. There was something for everyone’s wallet, ready to be emptied, whether one was welcomed at the port or had joined during the crossing.
And to my great regret, the cape of the Danaë was just passing by us that week.
“I believe we should keep our savings for the maintenance of the Swallow. The dashboard lights up like a Christmas tree. Some parts need to be changed…”
“You’re such a bore with your adult talks,” my partner said as she left the fitting room of a luxury chain overlooking the main deck. “What do you think of that? Sexy as fuck, right?”
Her camisole didn’t hide a single inch square of flesh and I subtly pointed it out to her:
“It’s a bit of a back-alley Sally.”
I took a blow on the nose which, this time, was amply justified.
“There’s nothing chicer than Borderline. You don’t know anything about fashion. It’s crazy!”
She was furious. It was entertaining. But she was right. The human female fads were way over my head and I wasn’t a good adviser. Mostly because I didn’t care. At all.
Fortunately, the upscale shopping mall where we were staying had provided us with a free assistant who was even more servile than a decerebrate canine. As usual, the robot carrier that accompanied us did the job by flattering her with its unbearable honeyed tone:
“I find you charming, Madame. Here we have the latest fashionable lingerie on Mars. It’s an ephemeral collection that appears to have been specially made to mold your discreet curves, which seem to have been sculpted by the seraphim.”
Ali gave me a satisfied look that I pretended to ignore. Then she backtracked into the fitting room to put her black suit and pink jacket back on.
I took the opportunity to climb on the shoulders of this silly robot, servant of our servants and last link in this hierarchy whose origins go back to Ancient Egypt.
“One more move like this and I’ll turn you into a gum dispenser.”
The automaton apologized before my partner’s head emerged from behind the silk curtains which were far too fragrant for my taste.
“I just checked; it’s too expensive anyway. I ain’t buying it,” she announced. “Can you order a taxicab to take us to the hotels’ ring? You’d be a sweetheart.”
Happy to leave this irascible human with her robotic slave, I proceeded to the nearest service terminal. By the time I requested a vehicle, a flying cigarette dispenser could light me a Lucky.
“It’s forbidden to smoke in our store, Monsieur.”
The customer attaché, in his blue silk suit with elephant legs, had appeared out of nowhere. Yet, with such a shiny tie, this punk should have dazzled me from the Kuiper belt.
“Please be kind and get me a Pepper Coke instead of ruining my eyesight…” I grumbled in response.
I was in an awful mood. I definitely hated shopping. And people. Yet the pedestrian avenues of the Danaë had a very exceptional population density. Perms were making a strong comeback, as were neon tattoos and overly open flowered shirts. Under the false UVA/B sun, it was a true dance of flesh, steel and plastic bodies with assumed nudity. Implants and surgery erased the hazards of the genetic lottery for better or worse. It was so superficial. So futile. So human.
“Hello, handsome!” Ali cried out, a large smile across her face. “Lee? You didn’t tell me you knew Christophe Lambert! You know I'm a huge Highlander fan!”
My partner had just joined me, arms loaded with bags massive enough to live in it, start a family and park my chromic Pontiac Firebird. All were filled with C$400 t-shirts and sneakers that she didn’t need and would only put on once.
“No smell. Hologram,” I conclude by throwing my cigarette butt through the smiling ghost.
“Shame!” Ali sighed.
She then looked at her terminal, and continued:
“Do you think I have time to grab a watch module? There are sales in the Japanese aisle! I saw some GD-8 that would go well with my new Game Pocket! This boat is fucking rad!”
Ali could not stop humming Who wants to live forever. I had to rub my temples to avoid a migraine before the arrival of our taxicab five minutes later.
These were miniature limousines with double fake leather benches, facing each other at the back. There was a minibar with expensive multicolored drinks and sugar-soaked snacks, the sapiens’ primary source of calories and high Gs space travel drug. For the sensitive, the smart-fridge provided diet sodas with aspartame, but no one took it. Finally, there were free Gauloise cigarettes next to the ashtray on the armrest. And even Tylenol!
“What a time to be alive!”
Right after leaving the fashion district, a soft voice of a young woman, who appeared to us through the armored porthole separating her from her customers, finally emerged from the cockpit:
“Good evening! I’m Miss Meera. At your service. Hotel de Saint-Malo, correct?”
I nodded. She smiled at us. She was beautiful with her incredibly dark night metal skin that contrasted strongly with her silvery-white hair. She also had charming ivory eyes with absolutely no reflection. They were a mesmerizing void of light.
In fact, it was so rare to deal with a real person, and not an AI, that we engaged rapidly in a lovely and honest discussion with Meera. We were mostly talking about life on the Danaë. As she stated, the rules on board were very strict, even military. All was done to make sure that the customer had the most pleasant time at the expense of everything else. Finally, according to her, her condition wasn’t the most to be pitied in the cosmos. And she was fully satisfied with this precarious semi-nomadic existence.
“And what about you? Are you here on vacation or in transit for work?” she eventually asked. “What do you do for a living?”
Should we have told her that we were executing infamous people so Ali would collect expensive t-shirts and I could fulfill my nicotine addiction?
“Don’t get me wrong but I saw that you had a gun. Are you in the police… or are you pirates?”
It wasn’t the first time someone asked us this question. Although weapons were allowed on most ships and stations, it wasn’t wise to display them unless you were looking for trouble. Unfortunately, hiding such a large caliber under such a tight vest was a Herculean task.
“You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone”, simply quoted Ali, her forehead against the window covered with scented stickers.
Meera laughed before continuing:
“Very well, Al Capone. I understand that you’re not the type to let yourself be taken advantage of.”
The taxicab entered the central expressway after the water park then suddenly swerved violently to the left.
“What is going on?” I gasped.
After crushing the safety railing, we fell from one rotating bridge to the other in a frantic cavalcade. Judging by Meera’s swear words, this ride wasn’t part of the show.
Avoiding the stalls of an art market and a group of children coming out of an arcade, the driver finally managed to recover in extremis. It was about time, because within seconds we were passing through the transparent protective wall of the hotels’ deck.
“A thousand apologies! Another one of those mor… clients from the Middle System who doesn’t know how to use a rental car,” she shouted through the window. “Are you guys hurt?”
“No, thanks to you,” I replied, my tail spiked over my head, taped to Ali’s neck now decorated with bloody scratches.
Although my human forehead now had a bump on it the size of a golf ball, it was true that Meera had just saved our lives. This young girl had unsuspected driving talents despite taxicabs’ lack of handling. She didn’t belong here, playing the steward in a yellow circus uniform. This woman should have been a fighter pilot; or a NASCAR driver on Canyon Creek.
“In any case, here you’re almost in front of your hotel,” she replied. “You don’t have to pay anything, and I apologize again for the scare.”
From the outside, the taxicab now looked like a can of nutrigel after going through a crusher. Yet, it still worked. May God Darwin bless Venusian steel.
After thanking her, we wished Meera a good day. But the cockpit window suddenly went down on the passenger side. The smile of the driver had faded. She had tears at the corner of her white eyes.
“Wait!” she asked. “This weapon… do you really know how to use it?”
So, life on the Danaë wasn’t so sweet. As Meera explained to us in a secluded alleyway, a trio of criminals had come to threaten her a few days earlier, after finding she was a bodacious driver. They were preparing a heist in one of the flying city’s fifty casinos. The young woman was now ready to pay the price to settle the case.
“What is your opinion about this whole situation?” I asked Ali, once in our room, a small yet cozy suite whose glass walls overlooked the vacuum of space.
My human had applied a brownish ointment on her hump, which disappeared soon after, leaving only a slight pinkish hematoma.
“Meera said she would provide us with more details tomorrow. However, if she ponies up the cash, I don’t see why we would refuse. We ain’t mercs but these three guys must have a bounty on their heads. Let’s do our job, right?
“Indeed…”
All we had to do was wait for more instructions. Fortunately, it had been months since we had been able to take days off except on miserable gas stations full of drug addicts, implants scavengers and prostitutes.
After another morning of shopping, Ali went to the thalassotherapy center of the neighboring hotel. Her main occupation? Overeating sushi made by 3D nutrigel printing while getting massages.
Alas, I didn’t have the time to bask under the false sun of the lakeside resort and get my belly stroked. As a good captain, I had to go to the maintenance to fix the numerous damages of the Kitty. As always, the bill would be higher than expected.
Everything was orchestrated so that we would never hold a positive balance in this corrupted system. We had to chain contract after contract.
But Meera’s gig didn’t sound right. There was something I didn’t like and I couldn’t catch it yet. All my cat sensors were in the red. Unfortunately, the bounty hunter’s ones only saw the green of the bills.
Don’t judge me.
The young taxicab driver had finally contacted Ali again by holoconference in the early afternoon, shortly before I joined her at the exit of the tanning booths. Or as I called them: human toasters.
“Have you finished roasting like a Thanksgiving turkey?” I asked her as she plunged into the icy water of the adjacent basin, under the lustful gaze of a group of cadets from the Marine Academy.
“Meera will pick us up with a new taxicab in the hotel parking lot,” she whispered once back to me. “Alongside her, we will meet two of the criminals at the burglary location, shortly before midnight.”
“Go on.”
“We take care of these guys and we catch up with the last one: the band leader, in the storage cavities of the hangar reserved for the ship’s logistics. Below the last rotating ring.”
In Eve’s costume, Ali came out of the basin, not without deliberately drenching me. The water had a nasty chemical taste from being filtered day after day.
“Do you have any intelligence on these jokers?” I insisted while lighting a cigarette.
“The Broadway Gang. Three brothers. C$45,000 for the trio. We will also be able to recover at least C$10,000 of Techno-federal tax on their ship depending on its condition. Easy cash with the dollar credits that Meera promises us…”
Now sitting on the ledge, my partner splashed her feet to demonstrate her eagerness to head back swimming.
“Excellent! This will pay for the maintenance and allow us to save some money on our way to the belt.”
“Can I go now?” she asked, sliding back into the water.
“You may,” I had concluded before seeing her leave for her absurd wanderings that would fill her afternoon.
I myself was very busy making eyes at the wealthy guests of the hotel restaurant to glean a few pieces of Peking duck or juicy crabs. They were real farm animals from Mars. Not nutrigel. It was worth abandoning a little dignity aside.
With a full belly, I finally joined Ali in the middle of the evening. Arriving in the corridor of our suite, I crossed the group of cadets noticed near the swimming pool. They seemed tired but blissfully smiling as they just discovered the nirvana. And I knew why…
“Ali? Are you ready?” I said as I walked through the half-open bedroom door.
Her dressing gown had been thrown on the floor. Her gun and badge were resting on the bedside table against a giant bottle of Koala Springs soda and a pyramid of little Yoyo Mints.
To be honest, I expected a bigger mess.
“Gimme five minutes,” she replied while in the shower.
An hour later, we met Meera in the staff parking lot behind the recycling stations. Without further discussion, we joined the expressway in the taxicab. Between two noisy info-ads, the radio played Sweet Transvestite then the rest of the mythical Rocky Horror soundtrack.
“I wonder what Tim Curry’s up to these days,” asked Ali while browsing the intraweb on her implant.
“Being legendary as usual,” I answered.
Afterwards, the casino was in sight. But once on the forecourt illuminated by the gold and silver bulbs, we heard gunshots and screams. My partner and I quickly realized that this was a violent robbery rather than a modest heist.
“What the fuck, Meera?” Ali asked, turning to the porthole that separated us from the cockpit.
There was a hint of irritation in her voice.
Meera remained mute, her hands on the wheel and her gaze forward. In the rear-view mirror the young woman looked panicked.
The right door of the vehicle suddenly opened and two men sat down in front of us. They were wearing theater masks: the first was Melpomene, the sad grimace of tragedy; the second, Thalia, the twisted smile of comedy. Each brigand carried a huge metal block under his arm; drawers that were sure to be full of cash. On the other hand, they held their still smoking ZeG-4 machine guns even more firmly.
When they saw us, they both gasped, in unison:
“What the fuck, Meera?”
One… two. One… two.
Four holes in their faded tuxedo. Four bullets as big as a cat’s eye that silenced them forever, before slowly repainting the bench in red.
“What the fuck was that? You killed them!” Meera shouted this time, as she started the electric engine. “You had tasers at your disposal, you psychos!”
She had finally turned around. Her voice was quivering. She was no longer panicked, but angry.
The tasers must have slipped between the seats because I hadn’t seen them. My partner raised her eyebrows and it made me realize that their use had never been in mind.
“We’re bounty hunters, not 9 to 5 social workers!” continued Ali. “Now, you gotta motor, otherwise the cops will shoot our ass on the spot before we could even meet the third dude!”
Meera put her foot on the pedal and one could almost hear the noise of the thrusters melting the white asphalt.
“I can perceive the sirens, Ali,” I concluded before Meera entered the ring's external road reserved for logistic transport.
We then had the shortest car chase we had taken part in. The Danaë security forces may not have had the best elements in the system, but Meera’s talents didn’t give them a chance. We had crossed half a dozen rotative bridges to the rhythm of Take on Me, zigzagging between expressways and maintenance tunnels to arrive before the song ended at the deserted logistics hangar.
It was similar to a huge supermarket with honeycombed shelves. Each of these garages, dimly illuminated by red LEDs, housed a delivery or transport vessel. There was the most impressive fleet I had ever seen.
In one of the first level’s cells stood, between a set of clamps, a Swift-0 scout, from Peugeot Corp, with wings spread. The Swifts were small and very high-end single-seaters. They could be modified to integrate weapons systems, but their primary characteristics were velocity and evasion.
Leaning on the flank of the mono-turbine, the last of the three criminals, a tall blond man with a “Chevy Chase” prominent chin was looking down on the approaching taxicab.
“Were they planning to escape on that ship? The three of them?” I remarked when the vehicle stopped a few meters from the small vessel.
But Meera ignored me.
“Hand me the money, I’m going out. That was the agreement.”
The porthole opened at its base, allowing us to pass the steel cash drawers. Once the taxicab’s ignition was turned off, only their holographic numbers glowed in the dark.
“It’s all over if his cronies don’t stick their noses out of the car,” Ali replied, finally giving the second drawer away. “He’s going to figure out that it went south. He will kill you!”
Outside, the man was getting impatient. Blinded by the taxicab’s headlights, he came closer before exclaiming:
“Zéphyr, are you there? Where are my brothers? Security is closing all the departure modules. We will be stuck here, for fuck’s sake!”
He now had a gun in his hand. A machine gun identical to those of his companions currently bathed in their blood, nailed to the seats.
“Zéphyr? Wait… I know that name!” I meowed to myself.
The doors and portholes of the taxicab were locked. Ali and I were now stuck in the back with the two flatlined and most wanted criminals on the ship.
“Sorry guys, but I’ll handle the rest.”
Miss Meera, alias Zéphyr, smiled at us through the armored glass just before leaving the cockpit by the driver’s door.
“What a fucking piece of shit… Lee? Do you have a plan? I think the windows are bulletproof. I don’t feel like testing. Especially if it’s bouncing around with us inside, we will be turned into ground beef!”
“Did you forget who I am, my dear?”
I was already crawling under the seat, between a pair of Méduse shoes and half nibbled fried rat wings. It was time to demonstrate all my infiltration skills learned from Ninja Gaiden. Unfortunately, both the crab and the duck slowed me down and my belly remained for a few seconds stuck under the driver’s seat with my head on the brake pedal. How outrageous!
From the porthole, I saw Ali watching what was happening in front of us, near the ship. Our eyes met for a brief moment and I could read on her lips: “diet kibble”.
“Better off dead!” I shouted.
My paw reached the bottom of the dashboard, activating the mechanical opening of doors and windows. And, accidentally, the loudest horn in this dimension.
“My bad!”
My sapiens immediately jumped outside, pointing her gun to Zéphyr. Surprised by the thunderous din, her target pivoted towards us, uncovered, turning her back to the human with the magnificent chin and his ZeG-4 who yelled:
“What in the whole universe is that? Wait! I know her! Did you bring us bounty hunters? You were clearly planning to double-cross us!”
The man shouted and his gun produced a rain of bullets. It first hit the windshield of the taxicab, passing through the conductor compartment where I was. The rounds bent the windscreen, but it held. This wasn’t, however, the case for the hood, protecting the engine and the reservoir full of coolant, which ended up covering the seat and my face.
Fortunately, the sticky alcohol allowed me to escape from this trap and jump out of the vehicle through the window I had previously opened. But, once again, a fire ring enveloped the ZeG-4’s cannon.
“This is how I die…” I meowed, eyes closed.
I was violently tackled and hit the ground. Zéphyr had saved me at the last moment, just before bullets obliterated the front of the taxicab.
Other projectiles ricocheted off the metal money drawers on the floor and got lost in the ceiling, activating the fire sprinklers. This incident triggered a silent light alarm throughout the hangar while the mobster prepared a new salvo.
“Don’t hurt my pilot, you narbo!” roared my partner.
Ali, this time taken as a target, retaliated. She fired a single shot towards the rascal with a formidable precision. No one knew how to handle such a heavy gun as she did. She was my human. She was the best in her field: murder.
And I taught her everything. Almost.
The leader of the robbers tried to reload the magazine of his weapon, unaware that his heart had been punctured a few seconds before. Adrenaline was doing its job. But the blood loss caused by the explosion of the aorta at its base, near the ventricles, gradually stopped him in his gesture. His pressure dropped and the bloodstream no longer reached the brain sufficiently. He was already in a coma when his shoulders touched the ground. He was luckier than the average Joe and died a few seconds later.
“Is everything all right?”
My voice was trembling, still in shock from this disaster. I was wet and frozen.
Zéphyr got up with difficulty. Next to us, one of the metal drawers was opened, revealing a bunch of green bills and a much stranger booty: an eight-inch gold diskette with suspicious Chinese symbols.
Well… I couldn’t read them but Chinese symbols on stuff are always suspect, aren’t they?
But there were more important matters. Because my partner, on the other hand, stayed on the ground. Blood was dripping from her black suit and mixed with the clear firefighting fluid that was falling like an endless rain.
I tried to talk to her again but my voice was lost in a groan.
“Why are you whining, you big baby? It’s just blood.”
With her nose in a puddle, my sapiens smiled at me. Her left hand was compressing her abdomen. The bullet had passed through the external oblique muscle, far from the stomach.
It wasn’t that bad after all but she had scared me. And that deserved a scratch on the wrist that made her scream:
“What the fuck?”
“And the medical expenses? Have you thought about medical expenses? We don’t have insurance!”
“God, Uncle Scrooge! I hate you!”
“We won’t be able to fix the Kitty with your heroic outbursts!” I fulminated to mask my joy of seeing her in one piece.
“I will kill you, Muppet! I almost died! I don’t give a fuck about your rusty trash can which flies like a brick!”
It was true that we hadn’t had a fight for a long time.
“Guys…” intervened Zéphyr.
“What?”
Ali and I had spoken together.
“These three ruffians had planned to steal the diskette drive from me once I got back. I needed a hand, so… thank you… I guess.”
“You’re welcome,” my human answered dryly while sitting.
Although Zéphyr saved me, I didn’t share the same kindness:
“Wait, we’re not letting him go! Do you know who he is?”
Zéphyr. Prince of thieves. And yes, he wasn’t much of a princess either. Just an androgynous cyborg. A breakout king wanted throughout the entire system for his affiliation with the Data Brokers’ Guild. With an incredible bounty of C$800,000, she or he… whatever… was the knight of the brokers’ chessboard.
“I think we’ve had enough for today,” Ali said. “Unless you hope to go after him with these big fat guts of yours.”
“By the 79 moons of Jupiter, you shall pay for this, woman!” I meowed, angry.
My ears were backwards and my hairs were spiky. But soaking wet, it just made Ali and Zéphyr laugh.
Disgrace!
“He’s so cute when he’s furious,” he joked.
Now on his knees, the night-skinned androgynous was blotting Ali’s wound with a torn piece of fabric from his driver’s uniform.
“But more seriously, I need to go. With the bounty, you’ll be able to repair your vessel. As for the hospital fees, I will contact a good friend who will take care of you for free. She’s the ship’s chief medical officer.”
“Thank you,” I simply replied as he helped my partner get back on her feet.
“It’s the least I can do. I wasn’t interested in money. More important information is contained in this,” he said as he was picking up the floppy disk.
This golden diskette must have been worth a lot of cash for Zéphyr to play a taxicab driver to ensure coverage. I had perceived that something was fishy!
Then, halfway to his Swift-0, Zéphyr stopped. I witnessed his hesitation.
“There was nothing personal, you know. We’re all just trying to make our way. The best we can…”
And he ultimately left before adding:
“Maybe we’ll see each other again! You seem like fun.”
Before fleeing away, Zéphyr abandoned one of the boxes near the criminal’s corpse. Thus, he validated the theory of a robbery that had gone wrong. When the security arrived a few minutes later, we were the heroes of the day. And with a little bribe, nobody cared about Zéphyr’s missing ship.
This whole story surely left us a bitter taste. A feeling of defeat and humiliation that the swimming pool under the synthetic sun couldn’t make disappear even a week after.
“He undoubtedly played us as we were rookies, with his little face of a young innocent girl in distress,” I said to Ali right after the end of the daily Brett Maverick.
This old show was dispensed on a couple of giant screens suspended by drones.
Until now, Ali had remained silent on her deckchair; with a brick of sour juice stuck between her breasts and a pair of straws between her teeth. Only inaudible grunts emanated from her mouth since the departure of the sexually unclassifiable mugger.
“I wonder what information this fucking cyber-Tootsie could have been looking for in that casino,” my human mumbled as she squeaked her rainbow flip-flops.
“Admit that it’s not really that question that puts you in such a state…” I answered, now well installed on my motorized buoy that I had gotten as a gift in a diet kibbles package.
“You bet! I will have a nasty tan mark on my stomach with these bandages!” she exploded, spitting out her plastic straws with infinite curls.
My float slipped towards the ledge as a robot came to bring us our next glucose overdose.
Ali finally added:
“I swear that if we run into him again, I’ll smack his fucking angel face.”
Back to business!

I have done extensive research on ALOT of subjects, you could say i am learning everything under the sun and thus have came to the following conclusions:
I understand how your family works, your companies, your routes around the world, and several of your questionable locations and businesses. I want you to come find me, talk to me, I know your out there...
There is this restricted mine town in Elizabeth Bay, that has a Siemens metal bar (industrial) at the mine (picture in link) meaning the company has their hands in a dirty business. Conveniently, there is also a Restricted diamond mining area nearby. We all know about the blood diamonds.. 🩸 💎
According to Wikipedia, "Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the company are Industry, Energy, Healthcare (Siemens Healthineers), and Infrastructure & Cities, which represent the main activities of the company. The company is a prominent maker of medical diagnostics equipment and its medical health-care division, which generates about 12 percent of the company's total sales, is its second-most profitable unit, after the industrial automation division. The company is a component of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index.”
The most interesting thing about Siemens is a former Bush Family member, maybe even a president was part of 🤡
Headquarters: Munich, Germany Area served: Worldwide Key people: 1. Jim Hagemann Snabe (Chairman) 2. Joe Kaeser (CEO) 3. Roland Busch!!! (Deputy CEO)
Products: Power generation technology, industrial and buildings automation, medical technology, railway vehicles, water treatment systems, fire alarms, PLM software
Services: Business services, financing, project engineering and construction
Divisions: Smart InfrastructurePower and GasDigital IndustriesHealthineersSiemens MobilitySiemens GamesaIoT ServicesNext 47Siemens Financial Services
According to Wikipedia the founder of Siemens & Halske (original Siemens) was, “Ernst Werner Siemens (von Siemens from 1888; 13 December 1816 – 6 December 1892) who was a German electrical engineer, inventor and industrialist. Siemens's name has been adopted as the SI unit of electrical conductance, the siemens. He founded the electrical and telecommunications conglomerate Siemens.
He is the fourth child (of fourteen) of a tenant farmer of the Siemens family, an old family of Goslar, documented since 1384. He was a brother of Carl Heinrich von Siemens and Carl Wilhelm Siemens.
Parents: Christian Ferdinand Siemens (31 July 1787 – 16 January 1840) and wife Eleonore Henriette Siemens (Deichmann) (1792 – 8 July 1839).”
There seems to be a potential family connection between Eleonore Deichmann and Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (October 11, 1884 – November 7, 1962) and a major connection (marriage) between the Bushes and Eleanors. Coincidence? I don’t believe so... at least one of their families lines, if not both are connected to the Royals and Rothschilds, the same goes for any other individual mentioned in this page.
Prescott Bush was the father of George Herbert Walker Bush and the grandfather of George W. Bush, both future presidents. He helped finance Hitler from America. Due to his funding, his organization was seized in the, “Trading With The Enemy Act of 1942.”
George W. Bush, becomes the 43rd President of the United States in the year 2000. Bush and his family declare they are the ancestors of the House of Plantagenet, whose linage stems from the Royal House of Judah.
Could it be the “Herbert” Walker Bush is really really related to Herbert Simon founder of the original company of, before it was renamed and reestablished as Simon Property Group, Inc./Ltd?
This would mean the Trumps, Bushes, and any other household politically/government affiliated individual are all part of the royal house and share the same “bloodline” and also control/have connections in other countries like Russia/Germany/Italy/England/etc...
They put on “a show” for the general public through the media to make it appear as if there are “issues,” to create chaos in the public, so no one catches on to the reality, which is they a connected family line living in different countries that work together behind the scenes and create problems to mislead to further their own gain. Occasionally, one of the families may become more selfish and double-cross their other family members, but that’s a different story...
Ever wonder why celebrities and Royals have strange or repeating names? Above is why. Conveniently, the last names came be changed through marriage (or even a 2nd/3rd identity) to cover their tracks. 

“ Carl Heinrich von Siemens (often just Carl von Siemens) (3 March 1829 – 21 March 1906).
In 1853, Carl Siemens traveled to St. Petersburg where he established the branch office of his brothers company Siemens & Halske. Siemens had a contract for constructing the Russian telegraph network at the time.
Carl went to England in 1869, where he assisted his brother William. In the 1880s, he returned to Russia before he became the senior chief executive of Siemens & Halske after the death of his brother Werner in 1892. He resigned in 1904. For his service to Russia, he was ennobled by Tsar Nicholas II in 1895.”
Clearly, Siemens, a company headquartered in Germany, but established worldwide, has deep connections with Russia concerning many businesses including power (electricity), communication network, and industrial side...and on top of that the American Bush family has their hands in it, so one could only come to the conclusion every problem ever created is a lie...
Why? It is simply a power struggle between the 5 original Rothschild/Royal families that established themselves worldwide a long time ago. From that point forward they branched out, married their family members from the other countries (to keep the money in family and grow simultaneously).
Eventually we are in today’s time, and they all have different last names and have grown so large you can barley tell them apart. They purposefully “cover” their tracks they best they can...
Trump is also related to the Royals. Near the bottom is more information.
⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️
More deceased family members that established “the electric telecommunications empire.” If you follow the names listed and family lines I’m sure you will find a connection.
His brother: Sir Carl Wilhelm Siemens FRS FRSA (4 April 1823 – 19 November 1883), anglicised to Charles William Siemens, was a German-British electrical engineer and businessman.”
Occupation: Electrical engineer, businessman Known for: Siemens-Martin process Spouse(s): Anne Gordon Parent(s): Christian Ferdinand Siemens and Eleonore Deichmann Relatives: Ernst Werner von Siemens, Carl Heinrich von Siemens, Alexander Siemens
Alexander Siemens (22 January 1847 – 16 February 1928) was a German electrical engineer
Occupation: Engineer Spouse(s): Louisa Dodwell Children: Three daughters Parent(s): Gustav and Sophie Siemens Engineering career Discipline: Civil, Electrical, Institutions Institution of Civil Engineers (president), Society of Telegraph Engineers and Electricians (founder member) Practice: Siemens Brothers Projects: World's first public electricity supply (at Godalming) lamps and cables for the electric industry.
⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️
“John Hopkinson, FRS, (27 July 1849 – 27 August 1898) was a British physicist, electrical engineer, Fellow of the Royal Society and President of the IEE (now the IET). He invented the three-wire (three-phase) system for the distribution of electrical power, for which he was granted a patent in 1882. In 1890 was appointed professor of electrical engineering at King's College London, where he was also director of the Siemens Laboratory.”
(Towards the bottom of this page is the information about the company, who owns it and talks about other connections/info/services).
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
I believe Simon Property Group, Inc./Ltd. to be Donald Trump’s ‘The Trump Organization.’
According to Wikipedia, “The Trump Organization is a group of about 500 business entities of which Donald Trump owns. About 250 of these entities use the Trump name.”
That means the other 250 are “under a different name,” Simon Property group perhaps...the Trumps sure do love real estate and investments and Simon Property group sure seems to have a very similar history to the Trump tower almost as though they are the same business just divided into 2 separately names business to confuse you. I honestly can’t blame you...🏥💰☸️ Where’s Simon? Hello 👋 Simon, I know exactly who you are, I found you! ⚖️
“The organization was founded in 1923 by Donald Trump's grandmother, Elizabeth Christ Trump, and his father, Fred Trump, as E. Trump & Son. Donald Trump began leading it in 1971, renamed it around 1973, and handed off its leadership to his children in 2017.”
Areas served: • United States Canada Japan Mexico South Korea Malaysia Thailand Key people: David E. Simon (CEO/Chairman), Herbert Simon (founder), Cowell Simon (More information about these individuals/companies towards end of page.)
🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨
Berkshire Hathaway (founded by Oliver Chase—important! His family relations connect to the others! This same concept applies to any other families/companies mentioned), is currently run by CEO Warren E. Buffett, Charles T. Munger and AJit Jain
According to Wikipedia, “Berkshire now owns a diverse range of businesses including confectionery, retail, railroads, home furnishings, encyclopedias, manufacturers of vacuum cleaners, jewelry sales, manufacture and distribution of uniforms, and several regional electric and gas utilities.”
I want to point out just like the Trump Organization, Semens, and Simons, Berkshire is involved in investments including investments, property, and real estate!!!! Tisk, Tisk, Tisk...
On top of that the company messes with jewels...that can only come from place, the the blood diamond mines or other types of mines (salt/oil/metals/precious stones/etc...) $$$$$ 🙂🙃😉
He also owns a large part of the railroad system (transportation/ports— also used for sex/drug trafficking/transporting goods/etc.) that Berkshire Hathaway owns.
🧿🧿🧿🧿🧿🧿🧿🧿🧿🧿🧿🧿🧿🧿
Let not forget Bill Gates! He owns the American/Canadian railway and when Warren Buffett dies, everything that Warren owns aka Berkshire Hathaway and its companies and railroads will ALL be donated to the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, giving them control over all the major railways within the US and control over almost all the major businesses and products we buy everyday.
Sounds like a monopoly to me, but whatever, it’s almost kinda amazing how all you guys worked together to create this misleading, heading in the wrong direction “empire”...
🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸
Whomever is reading this and this goes for ANYONE, if you truly want to change how the world works find and hold every individual accountable for their actions that are connected to the hypothetical laws and business empire they have created and yes it’s hypothetically, interpretation and perception of the laws is important... lawyers do it all the time... EVERYONE has a choice, the majority of Individuals “support” the system ONLY, because that’s all they’ve ever known.. since birth it gets ingrained into your head.
Psychology/reverse psychology and the mind is quite a powerful tool that can be easily manipulated, if you understand it that is...
But ultimately, you only have one life and it’s quite fucked to be living on the “Earth Prison” that the whole population is responsible for creating in today’s world. Like wtf? You can’t do anything anymore, fuck that! And yes, it’s equally everyone’s fault. The Elites for creating this “chaotic prison world” to further their plans that fit their needs only... and the rest of Earth’s general population who follows every word you say, like the good dogs they are. I’m sorry, but it’s true... and that’s why they should not be held accountable, unless of course someone “chooses” to take it into their own hands for whatever reason they have..I’m sure once the full truth is finally revealed many individuals will be shocked and very angry... who knows where that may lead, some won’t care, and others knew it was coming all along...
The golden rule, “Treat others, how you would want to be treated.”
The US constitution is unconstitutional. I stand by this.It does not define what it specifically means by “principle.” Aka it’s values. It merely states the individual principles as a whole aka “our bill of rights” and defines laws under them, but not once defines, what specific “principle” they ment... this means I can interpret it how I like, regardless of how many laws there are, bc they did not specify which definition of the word “principles” they meant. It can have several definitions and meanings, so how do I know how to properly interpret it? It doesn’t specify.... It’s all an “act” just like all the “bills” they write... What would the puppet show be without it right?
Listed below is how the hypothetically true “money/drug/sex-traffic/electricty, water, land, and other laundering businesses” are connected.
I have thought about this for a very long time, I have studied them, and put myself if their shoes...I try to be as fair as possible, though the families and companies listed below are all connected (marriage/2nd identity bc of incest and/or trying to hide, what the publicly traded companies really are [Fortune 500, for example] that everyone [general public] supports by working foin/or against the system.
Yes, some of these individuals are guilty of horrendous crimes including mass genocide, but that’s okay, I’ve decided, as long as they break their evil system down and convert it into a positive system that truly works in favor of the people instead of Exploiting the whole world and storing children and animals in shipping containers? Like wtf is that shit? Are you not ashamed of yourselves? Is greed worth it? A black soul and heart... I am the soul collector and I am coming for you! Neither good nor bad, I hear the screams I hear the prayers and the rituals, I hear the true desires...And yes, I am fully aware you know that I know... so here is my reply. And don’t get me wrong if anyone else has a valid reason as to how you harmed them,and they decide to come for you, remember it’s their choice and it was also your choice to harm them in whatever way...the golden rule, I say!
I hope whomever is part of this... I can teach you, to convert the negative into positive... I have many plans to share...
I understand the structure and something or someone will always be greater and it’s equal will always be the lesser. They are the same just a different perspective... The structure needs to be turned inside out and needs to be rearranged.
Everyone and Everything can easily be categorized. In simple terms this is what Algorithms are. I call it the chaotic pattern...The Alpha algorithm or what I’m assuming is the main quantum computer that combines the ALL separate individuals’ data on Earth (mini algorithm), information everyone freely gives out everyday without thinking twice about it, into a super algorithm that could potentially “predict” the future and make “plans” based on all this knowledge and data collected as to how humans behave, what they buy, live, etc.. into a nice chart that could potentially be followed...
I understand that most of were born into this pre-established family business and were breed to continue the traditions... it’s normal that’s just how it’s always been... That’s why your family is not necessarily guilty even though at the same time you are, bc you kept pushing the agenda knowing what was really happening behind the scenes.
I guess everyone part of your family or any of the associated business owned by many individuals are lucky that they are not stuck in shipping containers, sex trafficking, 🩸 Diamond mines, drugs, laundering, etc.... imagine being on the opposite end of the spectrum...
Why not use your power and money for the light good instead of the shadow of evil. Negative energy collects and feeds in ways that you don’t for-see.
I see the whole spectrum even the electro-magnetic frequency rays force behind it all. Adam the first living universal Atom spark that created the universes lives within me... I see everything on the spectrum. It’s a blessing and a curse. The  fibonacci curse and the curse of 3s... I see ALL the forms of 3s.
Below are questionable companies responsible for horrendous crimes and individuals who are connected to one another usually by marriage or birth... All the information below stems from different Wikipedia sites (sources). There are many more companies and people involved I did not mention. But I see you Simpsons, Burns, i see who Hitler really was it’s not like he is really someone’s father...🙃, Stewie, and so many others 🧐 I see you ALL!!!! Hello Rothschilds! I’ve studied your family tree extensively, I see all the different names used for the same people to hide the incest. You should be proud, without it, you could have never built this empire.
I would bet your whole kingdom that, I share your bloodline, I too am from Rheinland-Pfalz, marked the female bear born on the half moon 🌓 I truly miss it, but bc of your “vaccine plan” I probably will never be able to travel there again, since I do not trust a vaccine whose long-term effects are not known.
It’s not like the military gave my dad a shot that gave him progressive supranuclear palzy years later, he’s the youngest person to ever “get this disease” in the world...they studied him at Harvard. I don’t trust it. Why would I? It destroyed his life! From the bottom of my heart, whomever is responsible for giving all the soldiers shots containing different diseases in the 80s and early 90s, FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! That’s why I hate the world system so much and refuse to support it.
———————————————————
Wikipedia states about Simon Inc./Ltd: "Simon Property Group, Inc. is an American commercial real estate company, one of the largest retail real estate investment trusts (REIT), and the largest shopping mall operator in the US.
The company operates five retail real estate platforms: regional malls, premium outlet centers, The Mills, community/lifestyle centers and international properties.
It owns or has an interest in more than 204 properties of gross leasable area in North America and Asia. The company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, and employs more than 5,000 people."
Simon Property Group, Inc. has served these: United States Canada Japan Mexico South Korea Malaysia Thailand
According to Wikipedia a: "Commercial property, also called commercial real estate, investment property or income property, is real estate (buildings or land) intended to generate a profit, either from capital gains or rental income.
Commercial property includes: office buildings, medical centers, hotels, malls, retail stores, multifamily housing buildings, farm land, warehouses, and garages. In many states, residential property containing more than a certain number of units qualifies as commercial property for borrowing and tax purposes.
Commercial buildings are buildings that are used for commercial purposes, and include: office buildings, warehouses, and retail buildings (e.g. convenience stores, 'big box' stores, and shopping malls). In urban locations, a commercial building may combine functions, such as offices on levels 2-10, with retail on floor 1."
Wikipedia states: "A real estate investment trust (REIT) is a company that owns, and in most cases operates, income-producing real estate. REITs own many types of commercial real estate, ranging from office and apartment buildings to warehouses, hospitals, shopping centers, hotels and commercial forests. Some REITs engage in financing real estate."
++++++++++++++++++++++
Founders of Simon Inc.: Melvin Simon and Herbert Simon
• Simon Founder: Melvin Simon (October 21, 1926 – September 16, 2009) Spouse(s): Wife 1. Bess Meshulam born: née Meshulam-(divorced)
Wife 2. Bren Burns
Children: 5 including: 1. David E. Simon (with Bess) 2. Cindy Simon (with Bess) 3. Cowell Simon? 4.? 5.? Relatives:Paul Skjodt (son-in-law)
• Founder Melvins son: David E. Simon (born 1961/1962) is an American billionaire real estate developer, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group, an S&P 500 company and the largest U.S. publicly traded real estate company. Net worth US$1.0 billion (2017) Spouse(s): Jacqueline Freed (1986) Children: 5 Relatives: Melvin Simon (Father) Paul Skjodt: (brother-in-law)
• Simon Founder; Herbert "Herb" Simon (born October 23, 1934) is an American real estate developer. Spouses: 3 Children: 10 --two with first wife --three with Meyer --two with Nakhirunkanok --three adopted children Parent(s): Max Simon Mae Simon Family: Melvin Simon (brother)
Wife 1: Shelia Simon 1. Sheila Simon (divorced)-2 kids including Stephen Howard Simon, founder of Simon Equity LLC, (married Catherine Garvey Simon)
Wife 2: Diane Meyer Simon (born Diane Irene Meyer). She is the former wife of Indiana real estate billionaire Herbert Simon. Diane Meyer (divorced)-3 kids. She was the political staffer for Senator Birch Bayh.
They have 3 kids: 1. Sarah Elisabeth Meyer Simon- an investor who lives in New York City

1. Rachel Mariam Meyer Simon Stuart- is living in Indianapolis with her husband Hale Stuart and daughter Zara
   
2. Asher Benjamin Meyer Simon.
   

Wife 3: He married to Bui Simon in 2002 (born Porntip Nakhirunkanok) in Thailand (February 7, 1969--51 years old) Children: 2?
Paul Skjodt (born June 28, 1958) is an American-Canadian businessman, and former ice hockey player.
In 1987, he married Cindy Simon, the daughter of Melvin Simon and Bess Simon. They have 3 children: 1. Erik 2. Samantha 3. Ian
Relatives: Melvin Simon (father-in-law) David Simon: (brother-in-law)
I'm pretty sure Cindy Simon is really Sara J. Bloomfield the director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, since Cindy and her husband are the "founders."
Wikipedia states, "The Trump Organization is a group of about 500 business entities of which Donald Trump is the sole or principal owner. About 250 of these entities use the Trump name.
The organization was founded in 1923 by Donald Trump's grandmother, Elizabeth Christ Trump, and his father, Fred Trump, as E. Trump & Son. Donald Trump began leading it in 1971, renamed it around 1973, and handed off its leadership to his children in 2017.
The Trump Organization, through its various constituent companies and partnerships, has or has had interests in: real estate development, investing, brokerage, sales and marketing, and property management.
Trump Organization entities own, operate, invest in, and develop: residential real estate, hotels, resorts, residential towers, and golf courses in various countries.
They also operate or have operated in: construction, hospitality, casinos, entertainment, book and magazine publishing, broadcast media, model management, retail, financial services, food and beverages, business education, online travel, commercial and private aviation and beauty pageants.
Trump Organization entities also own the New York television production company that produced the reality television franchise The Apprentice.
Retail operations include or have included: fashion apparel, jewelry and accessories, books, home furnishings, lighting products, bath textiles and accessories, bedding, home fragrance products, small leather goods, vodka, wine, barware, steaks, chocolate bars, and bottled spring water."
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) Children 5 with Spouse(s): 3
Wife 1: Ivana Zelníčková (m. 1977; div. 1992)​ was born on February 20, 1949, in the Moravian city of Zlín, Czech Republic (Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia) and is the daughter of Miloš Zelníček (1927–1990) and Marie Zelníčková (née Francová).
Children: 3 1. Donald Trump Jr. 2. Ivanka Trump 3. Eric Trump
Wife 2: Marla Maples ​(m. 1993; div. 1999)​
Wife 3: Melania Knauss ​(m. 2005)​
Parents of Trump: Fred Trump Mary Anne MacLeod
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Amschel Moses Rothschild was born in about 1710. He was a German Jewish silk trader and money changer in the Judengasse (Jewstreet) in Frankfurt. Around 1743 he placed a red hexagram sign (which numerically and geometrically convert into the number 666) above the entrance of his door. His house was also red in color.
Within two centuries, the Rothschild, instructed this hexagram sign to be made part of the Israeli flag 🇮🇱. He had 8 children with Schönche Lechnich, one of his sons, Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1812), is the founder of the Rothschild banking dynasty. He marries Guttle SchnappeSchönche Lechnich (Rothschild) in 1770, and they have 10 children together.
In 1776, Mayer Amschel Rothschild creates the Illuminati and hands over the organizations development to Adam Weishaupt. Weishaupt sneaks in the Continental Order of Freemasons with this Illuminati doctrine. This doctrine claims a new order for the human race under the dictatorship of Satan and his supporters. This view is accepted and spread like a wildfire and is pursued in Masonic Lodges worldwide to this day.
In 1777, Nathan Mayer Rothschild is born, who is followed by Kalmann (Carl) Mayer Rothschild/Carl Mayer Freiherr von Rothschild in 1788. Carl is the founder of the Rothschild banking family of Naples. He had child named Adolf Carl....
Edmond James de Rothschild (Baron Abraham Edmond Benjamin James de Rothschild) has a son named Maurice de Rothschild. (Notice the name “Baron”...).
Adolf Hitler is really Maurice de Rothschild with fake beard and hair piece and carries out his father’s (Edmond James de Rothschild) work. Since the war caused a sugar shortage, Maurice would have also been the candy man aka Willy Wonka with his Cain top hat 🎩
Adolf HitleMaurice de Rothschild also has another name, which I believe to be Fred Trump, making trump his son... The pictures look to comparable... Anne (Anna), Mary, Maria, and Christ seems to be a shared motherly name between the Rothschild family history, Trumps, and Hitler.... (if you look up hitlers mom, it’s clearly a fake-photoshopped image). Also notice Trump’s youngest son is named “Barren.”
One must remember it is very easy to put misinformation out there, that includes changing names/birthdays/ and “events” that happened in their lives. Usually the birthdays are around the same years or don’t fully mention the full birthday for one individual, a lot of names also seem to repeat, which could be considered another clue towards the truth.
🎠🎠🎠🎠🎠🎠🎠🎠🎠🎠🎠🎠🎠🎠
Baron Abraham Edmond Benjamin James de Rothschild (19 August 1845 – 2 November 1934) was a French member of the Rothschild banking family. A strong supporter of Zionism, his large donations lent significant support to the movement during its early years, which helped lead to the establishment of the State of Israel, where he is simply known as "the baron Rothschild".
Nationality: French Spouse(s): Adelheid von Rothschild (m. 1877)​ Children: 3 1. James Armand de Rothschild 2. Maurice de Rothschild 3. Alexandrine de Rothschild
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“Maurice Edmond Karl de Rothschild (19 May 1881 – 4 September 1957) was a French art collector, vineyard owner, financier and politician. He was born into the Rothschild banking family of France.”
Spouse(s): Noémie Halphen ​(m. 1909)​ Children : Edmond Adolphe de Rothschild (b. 1926)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Edmond Adolphe Maurice Jules Jacques de Rothschild or Baron Edmond de Rothschild (born 30 September 1926 in Paris, France – deceased 2 November 1997 in Geneva, Switzerland) was a French-Swiss banker, the founder of the Edmond de Rothschild Group in 1953. His investments extended to vineyards, yacht racing, farming and hospitality.”
Spouse(s): 1. Veselinka Vladova Gueorguieva ​(m. 1958⁠–⁠1960)​ (1 child—Trump?!?) 2. Nadine de Rothschild (m. 1963)​ (Trump’s sister ?) Children: Benjamin de Rothschild (b. 1963)
🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽
The pictures are linked below and in the comments, due to this being reddit I can’t show all the pics or the potential routes.
https://imgur.com/gallery/ViO5cEL
As Lil Wayne said, —“I am ill not sick
Nobody gives you a chance, you gotta take chances Your family tree, I will break branches Cause I don't give a fuck, I put the ass in assassin Smoke you like a blunt then it's ashes to ashes The future is born, put the past in the casket If real shit is dead then nigga I'm a bastard Uh, appetite for disaster I want a full plate then another plate after
Gorillas in suits The holy war, the spiritual troops Fighting over the mythical truth Drowning in the political soup They shoot missiles and nukes Taking out such a pivotal group The body count is the physical proof And they thought drugs were killing the youth (ha, ha, ha, ha) Thank you, Thank you all
I am president Carter”

I have done extensive research on ALOT of subjects, you could say i am learning everything under the sun and thus have came to the following conclusions:
I understand how your family works, your companies, your routes around the world, and several of your questionable locations and businesses. I want you to come find me, talk to me, I know your out there...
There is this restricted mine town in Elizabeth Bay, that has a Siemens metal bar (industrial) at the mine (picture in link) meaning the company has their hands in a dirty business. Conveniently, there is also a Restricted diamond mining area nearby. We all know about the blood diamonds.. 🩸 💎
According to Wikipedia, "Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the company are Industry, Energy, Healthcare (Siemens Healthineers), and Infrastructure & Cities, which represent the main activities of the company. The company is a prominent maker of medical diagnostics equipment and its medical health-care division, which generates about 12 percent of the company's total sales, is its second-most profitable unit, after the industrial automation division. The company is a component of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index.”
The most interesting thing about Siemens is a former Bush Family member, maybe even a president was part of 🤡
Headquarters: Munich, Germany Area served: Worldwide Key people: 1. Jim Hagemann Snabe (Chairman) 2. Joe Kaeser (CEO) 3. Roland Busch!!! (Deputy CEO)
Products: Power generation technology, industrial and buildings automation, medical technology, railway vehicles, water treatment systems, fire alarms, PLM software
Services: Business services, financing, project engineering and construction
Divisions: Smart InfrastructurePower and GasDigital IndustriesHealthineersSiemens MobilitySiemens GamesaIoT ServicesNext 47Siemens Financial Services
According to Wikipedia the founder of Siemens & Halske (original Siemens) was, “Ernst Werner Siemens (von Siemens from 1888; 13 December 1816 – 6 December 1892) who was a German electrical engineer, inventor and industrialist. Siemens's name has been adopted as the SI unit of electrical conductance, the siemens. He founded the electrical and telecommunications conglomerate Siemens.
He is the fourth child (of fourteen) of a tenant farmer of the Siemens family, an old family of Goslar, documented since 1384. He was a brother of Carl Heinrich von Siemens and Carl Wilhelm Siemens.
Parents: Christian Ferdinand Siemens (31 July 1787 – 16 January 1840) and wife Eleonore Henriette Siemens (Deichmann) (1792 – 8 July 1839).”
There seems to be a potential family connection between Eleonore Deichmann and Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (October 11, 1884 – November 7, 1962) and a major connection (marriage) between the Bushes and Eleanors. Coincidence? I don’t believe so... at least one of their families lines, if not both are connected to the Royals and Rothschilds, the same goes for any other individual mentioned in this page.
Prescott Bush was the father of George Herbert Walker Bush and the grandfather of George W. Bush, both future presidents. He helped finance Hitler from America. Due to his funding, his organization was seized in the, “Trading With The Enemy Act of 1942.”
George W. Bush, becomes the 43rd President of the United States in the year 2000. Bush and his family declare they are the ancestors of the House of Plantagenet, whose linage stems from the Royal House of Judah.
Could it be the “Herbert” Walker Bush is really really related to Herbert Simon founder of the original company of, before it was renamed and reestablished as Simon Property Group, Inc./Ltd?
This would mean the Trumps, Bushes, and any other household politically/government affiliated individual are all part of the royal house and share the same “bloodline” and also control/have connections in other countries like Russia/Germany/Italy/England/etc...
They put on “a show” for the general public through the media to make it appear as if there are “issues,” to create chaos in the public, so no one catches on to the reality, which is they a connected family line living in different countries that work together behind the scenes and create problems to mislead to further their own gain. Occasionally, one of the families may become more selfish and double-cross their other family members, but that’s a different story...
Ever wonder why celebrities and Royals have strange or repeating names? Above is why. Conveniently, the last names came be changed through marriage (or even a 2nd/3rd identity) to cover their tracks. 

“ Carl Heinrich von Siemens (often just Carl von Siemens) (3 March 1829 – 21 March 1906).
In 1853, Carl Siemens traveled to St. Petersburg where he established the branch office of his brothers company Siemens & Halske. Siemens had a contract for constructing the Russian telegraph network at the time.
Carl went to England in 1869, where he assisted his brother William. In the 1880s, he returned to Russia before he became the senior chief executive of Siemens & Halske after the death of his brother Werner in 1892. He resigned in 1904. For his service to Russia, he was ennobled by Tsar Nicholas II in 1895.”
Clearly, Siemens, a company headquartered in Germany, but established worldwide, has deep connections with Russia concerning many businesses including power (electricity), communication network, and industrial side...and on top of that the American Bush family has their hands in it, so one could only come to the conclusion every problem ever created is a lie...
Why? It is simply a power struggle between the 5 original Rothschild/Royal families that established themselves worldwide a long time ago. From that point forward they branched out, married their family members from the other countries (to keep the money in family and grow simultaneously).
Eventually we are in today’s time, and they all have different last names and have grown so large you can barley tell them apart. They purposefully “cover” their tracks they best they can...
Trump is also related to the Royals. Near the bottom is more information.
⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️⚱️
More deceased family members that established “the electric telecommunications empire.” If you follow the names listed and family lines I’m sure you will find a connection.
His brother: Sir Carl Wilhelm Siemens FRS FRSA (4 April 1823 – 19 November 1883), anglicised to Charles William Siemens, was a German-British electrical engineer and businessman.”
Occupation: Electrical engineer, businessman Known for: Siemens-Martin process Spouse(s): Anne Gordon Parent(s): Christian Ferdinand Siemens and Eleonore Deichmann Relatives: Ernst Werner von Siemens, Carl Heinrich von Siemens, Alexander Siemens
Alexander Siemens (22 January 1847 – 16 February 1928) was a German electrical engineer
Occupation: Engineer Spouse(s): Louisa Dodwell Children: Three daughters Parent(s): Gustav and Sophie Siemens Engineering career Discipline: Civil, Electrical, Institutions Institution of Civil Engineers (president), Society of Telegraph Engineers and Electricians (founder member) Practice: Siemens Brothers Projects: World's first public electricity supply (at Godalming) lamps and cables for the electric industry.
⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️
“John Hopkinson, FRS, (27 July 1849 – 27 August 1898) was a British physicist, electrical engineer, Fellow of the Royal Society and President of the IEE (now the IET). He invented the three-wire (three-phase) system for the distribution of electrical power, for which he was granted a patent in 1882. In 1890 was appointed professor of electrical engineering at King's College London, where he was also director of the Siemens Laboratory.”
(Towards the bottom of this page is the information about the company, who owns it and talks about other connections/info/services).
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
I believe Simon Property Group, Inc./Ltd. to be Donald Trump’s ‘The Trump Organization.’
According to Wikipedia, “The Trump Organization is a group of about 500 business entities of which Donald Trump owns. About 250 of these entities use the Trump name.”
That means the other 250 are “under a different name,” Simon Property group perhaps...the Trumps sure do love real estate and investments and Simon Property group sure seems to have a very similar history to the Trump tower almost as though they are the same business just divided into 2 separately names business to confuse you. I honestly can’t blame you...🏥💰☸️ Where’s Simon? Hello 👋 Simon, I know exactly who you are, I found you! ⚖️
“The organization was founded in 1923 by Donald Trump's grandmother, Elizabeth Christ Trump, and his father, Fred Trump, as E. Trump & Son. Donald Trump began leading it in 1971, renamed it around 1973, and handed off its leadership to his children in 2017.”
Areas served: • United States Canada Japan Mexico South Korea Malaysia Thailand Key people: David E. Simon (CEO/Chairman), Herbert Simon (founder), Cowell Simon (More information about these individuals/companies towards end of page.)
🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨
Berkshire Hathaway (founded by Oliver Chase—important! His family relations connect to the others! This same concept applies to any other families/companies mentioned), is currently run by CEO Warren E. Buffett, Charles T. Munger and AJit Jain
According to Wikipedia, “Berkshire now owns a diverse range of businesses including confectionery, retail, railroads, home furnishings, encyclopedias, manufacturers of vacuum cleaners, jewelry sales, manufacture and distribution of uniforms, and several regional electric and gas utilities.”
I want to point out just like the Trump Organization, Semens, and Simons, Berkshire is involved in investments including investments, property, and real estate!!!! Tisk, Tisk, Tisk...
On top of that the company messes with jewels...that can only come from place, the the blood diamond mines or other types of mines (salt/oil/metals/precious stones/etc...) $$$$$ 🙂🙃😉
He also owns a large part of the railroad system (transportation/ports— also used for sex/drug trafficking/transporting goods/etc.) that Berkshire Hathaway owns.
🧿🧿🧿🧿🧿🧿🧿🧿🧿🧿🧿🧿🧿🧿
Let not forget Bill Gates! He owns the American/Canadian railway and when Warren Buffett dies, everything that Warren owns aka Berkshire Hathaway and its companies and railroads will ALL be donated to the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, giving them control over all the major railways within the US and control over almost all the major businesses and products we buy everyday.
Sounds like a monopoly to me, but whatever, it’s almost kinda amazing how all you guys worked together to create this misleading, heading in the wrong direction “empire”...
🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸
Whomever is reading this and this goes for ANYONE, if you truly want to change how the world works find and hold every individual accountable for their actions that are connected to the hypothetical laws and business empire they have created and yes it’s hypothetically, interpretation and perception of the laws is important... lawyers do it all the time... EVERYONE has a choice, the majority of Individuals “support” the system ONLY, because that’s all they’ve ever known.. since birth it gets ingrained into your head.
Psychology/reverse psychology and the mind is quite a powerful tool that can be easily manipulated, if you understand it that is...
But ultimately, you only have one life and it’s quite fucked to be living on the “Earth Prison” that the whole population is responsible for creating in today’s world. Like wtf? You can’t do anything anymore, fuck that! And yes, it’s equally everyone’s fault. The Elites for creating this “chaotic prison world” to further their plans that fit their needs only... and the rest of Earth’s general population who follows every word you say, like the good dogs they are. I’m sorry, but it’s true... and that’s why they should not be held accountable, unless of course someone “chooses” to take it into their own hands for whatever reason they have..I’m sure once the full truth is finally revealed many individuals will be shocked and very angry... who knows where that may lead, some won’t care, and others knew it was coming all along...
The golden rule, “Treat others, how you would want to be treated.”
The US constitution is unconstitutional. I stand by this.It does not define what it specifically means by “principle.” Aka it’s values. It merely states the individual principles as a whole aka “our bill of rights” and defines laws under them, but not once defines, what specific “principle” they ment... this means I can interpret it how I like, regardless of how many laws there are, bc they did not specify which definition of the word “principles” they meant. It can have several definitions and meanings, so how do I know how to properly interpret it? It doesn’t specify.... It’s all an “act” just like all the “bills” they write... What would the puppet show be without it right?
Listed below is how the hypothetically true “money/drug/sex-traffic/electricty, water, land, and other laundering businesses” are connected.
I have thought about this for a very long time, I have studied them, and put myself if their shoes...I try to be as fair as possible, though the families and companies listed below are all connected (marriage/2nd identity bc of incest and/or trying to hide, what the publicly traded companies really are [Fortune 500, for example] that everyone [general public] supports by working foin/or against the system.
Yes, some of these individuals are guilty of horrendous crimes including mass genocide, but that’s okay, I’ve decided, as long as they break their evil system down and convert it into a positive system that truly works in favor of the people instead of Exploiting the whole world and storing children and animals in shipping containers? Like wtf is that shit? Are you not ashamed of yourselves? Is greed worth it? A black soul and heart... I am the soul collector and I am coming for you! Neither good nor bad, I hear the screams I hear the prayers and the rituals, I hear the true desires...And yes, I am fully aware you know that I know... so here is my reply. And don’t get me wrong if anyone else has a valid reason as to how you harmed them,and they decide to come for you, remember it’s their choice and it was also your choice to harm them in whatever way...the golden rule, I say!
I hope whomever is part of this... I can teach you, to convert the negative into positive... I have many plans to share...
I understand the structure and something or someone will always be greater and it’s equal will always be the lesser. They are the same just a different perspective... The structure needs to be turned inside out and needs to be rearranged.
Everyone and Everything can easily be categorized. In simple terms this is what Algorithms are. I call it the chaotic pattern...The Alpha algorithm or what I’m assuming is the main quantum computer that combines the ALL separate individuals’ data on Earth (mini algorithm), information everyone freely gives out everyday without thinking twice about it, into a super algorithm that could potentially “predict” the future and make “plans” based on all this knowledge and data collected as to how humans behave, what they buy, live, etc.. into a nice chart that could potentially be followed...
I understand that most of were born into this pre-established family business and were breed to continue the traditions... it’s normal that’s just how it’s always been... That’s why your family is not necessarily guilty even though at the same time you are, bc you kept pushing the agenda knowing what was really happening behind the scenes.
I guess everyone part of your family or any of the associated business owned by many individuals are lucky that they are not stuck in shipping containers, sex trafficking, 🩸 Diamond mines, drugs, laundering, etc.... imagine being on the opposite end of the spectrum...
Why not use your power and money for the light good instead of the shadow of evil. Negative energy collects and feeds in ways that you don’t for-see.
I see the whole spectrum even the electro-magnetic frequency rays force behind it all. Adam the first living universal Atom spark that created the universes lives within me... I see everything on the spectrum. It’s a blessing and a curse. The  fibonacci curse and the curse of 3s... I see ALL the forms of 3s.
Below are questionable companies responsible for horrendous crimes and individuals who are connected to one another usually by marriage or birth... All the information below stems from different Wikipedia sites (sources). There are many more companies and people involved I did not mention. But I see you Simpsons, Burns, i see who Hitler really was it’s not like he is really someone’s father...🙃, Stewie, and so many others 🧐 I see you ALL!!!! Hello Rothschilds! I’ve studied your family tree extensively, I see all the different names used for the same people to hide the incest. You should be proud, without it, you could have never built this empire.
I would bet your whole kingdom that, I share your bloodline, I too am from Rheinland-Pfalz, marked the female bear born on the half moon 🌓 I truly miss it, but bc of your “vaccine plan” I probably will never be able to travel there again, since I do not trust a vaccine whose long-term effects are not known.
It’s not like the military gave my dad a shot that gave him progressive supranuclear palzy years later, he’s the youngest person to ever “get this disease” in the world...they studied him at Harvard. I don’t trust it. Why would I? It destroyed his life! From the bottom of my heart, whomever is responsible for giving all the soldiers shots containing different diseases in the 80s and early 90s, FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! That’s why I hate the world system so much and refuse to support it.
———————————————————
Wikipedia states about Simon Inc./Ltd: "Simon Property Group, Inc. is an American commercial real estate company, one of the largest retail real estate investment trusts (REIT), and the largest shopping mall operator in the US.
The company operates five retail real estate platforms: regional malls, premium outlet centers, The Mills, community/lifestyle centers and international properties.
It owns or has an interest in more than 204 properties of gross leasable area in North America and Asia. The company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, and employs more than 5,000 people."
Simon Property Group, Inc. has served these: United States Canada Japan Mexico South Korea Malaysia Thailand
According to Wikipedia a: "Commercial property, also called commercial real estate, investment property or income property, is real estate (buildings or land) intended to generate a profit, either from capital gains or rental income.
Commercial property includes: office buildings, medical centers, hotels, malls, retail stores, multifamily housing buildings, farm land, warehouses, and garages. In many states, residential property containing more than a certain number of units qualifies as commercial property for borrowing and tax purposes.
Commercial buildings are buildings that are used for commercial purposes, and include: office buildings, warehouses, and retail buildings (e.g. convenience stores, 'big box' stores, and shopping malls). In urban locations, a commercial building may combine functions, such as offices on levels 2-10, with retail on floor 1."
Wikipedia states: "A real estate investment trust (REIT) is a company that owns, and in most cases operates, income-producing real estate. REITs own many types of commercial real estate, ranging from office and apartment buildings to warehouses, hospitals, shopping centers, hotels and commercial forests. Some REITs engage in financing real estate."
++++++++++++++++++++++
Founders of Simon Inc.: Melvin Simon and Herbert Simon
• Simon Founder: Melvin Simon (October 21, 1926 – September 16, 2009) Spouse(s): Wife 1. Bess Meshulam born: née Meshulam-(divorced)
Wife 2. Bren Burns
Children: 5 including: 1. David E. Simon (with Bess) 2. Cindy Simon (with Bess) 3. Cowell Simon? 4.? 5.? Relatives:Paul Skjodt (son-in-law)
• Founder Melvins son: David E. Simon (born 1961/1962) is an American billionaire real estate developer, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group, an S&P 500 company and the largest U.S. publicly traded real estate company. Net worth US$1.0 billion (2017) Spouse(s): Jacqueline Freed (1986) Children: 5 Relatives: Melvin Simon (Father) Paul Skjodt: (brother-in-law)
• Simon Founder; Herbert "Herb" Simon (born October 23, 1934) is an American real estate developer. Spouses: 3 Children: 10 --two with first wife --three with Meyer --two with Nakhirunkanok --three adopted children Parent(s): Max Simon Mae Simon Family: Melvin Simon (brother)
Wife 1: Shelia Simon 1. Sheila Simon (divorced)-2 kids including Stephen Howard Simon, founder of Simon Equity LLC, (married Catherine Garvey Simon)
Wife 2: Diane Meyer Simon (born Diane Irene Meyer). She is the former wife of Indiana real estate billionaire Herbert Simon. Diane Meyer (divorced)-3 kids. She was the political staffer for Senator Birch Bayh.
They have 3 kids: 1. Sarah Elisabeth Meyer Simon- an investor who lives in New York City

1. Rachel Mariam Meyer Simon Stuart- is living in Indianapolis with her husband Hale Stuart and daughter Zara
   
2. Asher Benjamin Meyer Simon.
   

Wife 3: He married to Bui Simon in 2002 (born Porntip Nakhirunkanok) in Thailand (February 7, 1969--51 years old) Children: 2?
Paul Skjodt (born June 28, 1958) is an American-Canadian businessman, and former ice hockey player.
In 1987, he married Cindy Simon, the daughter of Melvin Simon and Bess Simon. They have 3 children: 1. Erik 2. Samantha 3. Ian
Relatives: Melvin Simon (father-in-law) David Simon: (brother-in-law)
I'm pretty sure Cindy Simon is really Sara J. Bloomfield the director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, since Cindy and her husband are the "founders."
Wikipedia states, "The Trump Organization is a group of about 500 business entities of which Donald Trump is the sole or principal owner. About 250 of these entities use the Trump name.
The organization was founded in 1923 by Donald Trump's grandmother, Elizabeth Christ Trump, and his father, Fred Trump, as E. Trump & Son. Donald Trump began leading it in 1971, renamed it around 1973, and handed off its leadership to his children in 2017.
The Trump Organization, through its various constituent companies and partnerships, has or has had interests in: real estate development, investing, brokerage, sales and marketing, and property management.
Trump Organization entities own, operate, invest in, and develop: residential real estate, hotels, resorts, residential towers, and golf courses in various countries.
They also operate or have operated in: construction, hospitality, casinos, entertainment, book and magazine publishing, broadcast media, model management, retail, financial services, food and beverages, business education, online travel, commercial and private aviation and beauty pageants.
Trump Organization entities also own the New York television production company that produced the reality television franchise The Apprentice.
Retail operations include or have included: fashion apparel, jewelry and accessories, books, home furnishings, lighting products, bath textiles and accessories, bedding, home fragrance products, small leather goods, vodka, wine, barware, steaks, chocolate bars, and bottled spring water."
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) Children 5 with Spouse(s): 3
Wife 1: Ivana Zelníčková (m. 1977; div. 1992)​ was born on February 20, 1949, in the Moravian city of Zlín, Czech Republic (Gottwaldov, Czechoslovakia) and is the daughter of Miloš Zelníček (1927–1990) and Marie Zelníčková (née Francová).
Children: 3 1. Donald Trump Jr. 2. Ivanka Trump 3. Eric Trump
Wife 2: Marla Maples ​(m. 1993; div. 1999)​
Wife 3: Melania Knauss ​(m. 2005)​
Parents of Trump: Fred Trump Mary Anne MacLeod
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Amschel Moses Rothschild was born in about 1710. He was a German Jewish silk trader and money changer in the Judengasse (Jewstreet) in Frankfurt. Around 1743 he placed a red hexagram sign (which numerically and geometrically convert into the number 666) above the entrance of his door. His house was also red in color.
Within two centuries, the Rothschild, instructed this hexagram sign to be made part of the Israeli flag 🇮🇱. He had 8 children with Schönche Lechnich, one of his sons, Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1812), is the founder of the Rothschild banking dynasty. He marries Guttle SchnappeSchönche Lechnich (Rothschild) in 1770, and they have 10 children together.
In 1776, Mayer Amschel Rothschild creates the Illuminati and hands over the organizations development to Adam Weishaupt. Weishaupt sneaks in the Continental Order of Freemasons with this Illuminati doctrine. This doctrine claims a new order for the human race under the dictatorship of Satan and his supporters. This view is accepted and spread like a wildfire and is pursued in Masonic Lodges worldwide to this day.
In 1777, Nathan Mayer Rothschild is born, who is followed by Kalmann (Carl) Mayer Rothschild/Carl Mayer Freiherr von Rothschild in 1788. Carl is the founder of the Rothschild banking family of Naples. He had child named Adolf Carl....
Edmond James de Rothschild (Baron Abraham Edmond Benjamin James de Rothschild) has a son named Maurice de Rothschild. (Notice the name “Baron”...).
Adolf Hitler is really Maurice de Rothschild with fake beard and hair piece and carries out his father’s (Edmond James de Rothschild) work. Since the war caused a sugar shortage, Maurice would have also been the candy man aka Willy Wonka with his Cain top hat 🎩
Adolf HitleMaurice de Rothschild also has another name, which I believe to be Fred Trump, making trump his son... The pictures look to comparable... Anne (Anna), Mary, Maria, and Christ seems to be a shared motherly name between the Rothschild family history, Trumps, and Hitler.... (if you look up hitlers mom, it’s clearly a fake-photoshopped image). Also notice Trump’s youngest son is named “Barren.”
One must remember it is very easy to put misinformation out there, that includes changing names/birthdays/ and “events” that happened in their lives. Usually the birthdays are around the same years or don’t fully mention the full birthday for one individual, a lot of names also seem to repeat, which could be considered another clue towards the truth.
🎠🎠🎠🎠🎠🎠🎠🎠🎠🎠🎠🎠🎠🎠
Baron Abraham Edmond Benjamin James de Rothschild (19 August 1845 – 2 November 1934) was a French member of the Rothschild banking family. A strong supporter of Zionism, his large donations lent significant support to the movement during its early years, which helped lead to the establishment of the State of Israel, where he is simply known as "the baron Rothschild".
Nationality: French Spouse(s): Adelheid von Rothschild (m. 1877)​ Children: 3 1. James Armand de Rothschild 2. Maurice de Rothschild 3. Alexandrine de Rothschild
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“Maurice Edmond Karl de Rothschild (19 May 1881 – 4 September 1957) was a French art collector, vineyard owner, financier and politician. He was born into the Rothschild banking family of France.”
Spouse(s): Noémie Halphen ​(m. 1909)​ Children : Edmond Adolphe de Rothschild (b. 1926)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Edmond Adolphe Maurice Jules Jacques de Rothschild or Baron Edmond de Rothschild (born 30 September 1926 in Paris, France – deceased 2 November 1997 in Geneva, Switzerland) was a French-Swiss banker, the founder of the Edmond de Rothschild Group in 1953. His investments extended to vineyards, yacht racing, farming and hospitality.”
Spouse(s): 1. Veselinka Vladova Gueorguieva ​(m. 1958⁠–⁠1960)​ (1 child—Trump?!?) 2. Nadine de Rothschild (m. 1963)​ (Trump’s sister ?) Children: Benjamin de Rothschild (b. 1963)
🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽
The pictures are linked below and in the comments, due to this being reddit I can’t show all the pics or the potential routes.
https://imgur.com/gallery/ViO5cEL
As Lil Wayne said, —“I am ill not sick
Nobody gives you a chance, you gotta take chances Your family tree, I will break branches Cause I don't give a fuck, I put the ass in assassin Smoke you like a blunt then it's ashes to ashes The future is born, put the past in the casket If real shit is dead then nigga I'm a bastard Uh, appetite for disaster I want a full plate then another plate after
Gorillas in suits The holy war, the spiritual troops Fighting over the mythical truth Drowning in the political soup They shoot missiles and nukes Taking out such a pivotal group The body count is the physical proof And they thought drugs were killing the youth (ha, ha, ha, ha) Thank you, Thank you all
I am president Carter”

Bundles take priority.
New Stuff
Cleared out a ton of things that haven’t moved for what seems like years. Picked up a bunch of Wii stuff, check out that section if that’s what you’re into.
Nintendo Collectibles

Title	Condition	Notes
Paper Mario: The Origami King Origami Set	Sealed	They are these ones
Super Mario 3D All-Stars Poster Set	New	They are these ones
Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary Pin Set #1	Sealed	They are these ones
Super Mario Zipper Case	New	It's this one

Nintendo Switch

Title	Condition	Notes
Console 32GB Nintendo Switch	New	New model with neon red/blue Joycons. Includes a code in the box for MarioKart 8 Deluxe & 3 month subscription to Switch Online service.
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & The Secret Hideout	Sealed	Picked up an extra copy to keep sealed during the recent restocks. Figure if someone else will open & play it, might be a good token to trade.
Fire Emblem 30th Anniversary: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light	New	Brand new, ordered an extra in case one got canceled. Neither got canceled.
Ys VIII	Cart & Case Only	Adventurer's Edition, however it doesn't have any of the inserts. Just the case and the cartridge.

Nintendo Wii/U

Title	Condition	Notes
Console WiiU	Used	Black 32GB console. Very nice shape. Includes the OEM power supply & sensor bar, gamepad (in excellent condition -- no stylus or original charging brick, but it will come with a USB-to-gamepad cable. It doesn't work nearly as well at charging the gamepad, I'd recommend picking up an OEM charging brick/cradle if you don't already have one).
Console Wii RVL-001	FPNW	Reads GameCube discs and will read Wii discs but won’t go past the loading/boot-up. Thinking the laser is dirty. Everything else works great, I'd consider it an exceptional candidate for softmod. Includes all OEM hookups (A/V, power brick, sensor bar), but no Wiimotes. Happy to softmod if you'd like.
Wiimotes	Accessory	I have 6 total Wiimotes, 2 black (both have Motion+ built in) and 4 white ones. All in varying condition. Let me know if you want pictures. I also have 2 white nunchaku.
Guitar Hero Guitars	Accessory	I have a total of 6- 3 Les Pauls (none have the Wiimote port cover), 2 red & white GH5 models, and one sunburst World Tour model. All tested & work, except one of the Les Paul tilt sensors doesn’t function, and you have to press hard on green to get it to go on one of the red & white models.
Backyard Baseball	CIB	Tested & working
Big Beach Sports	CIB	Tested & working
Bigfoot Collision Course	CIB	Tested & working
Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2010	CIB	2 copies for some reason. Both tested & working
Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts	CIB	Tested & working
Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2011 Special Edition	CIB	Tested & working
Cold Stone Creamery: Scoop It Up	CIB	Tested & working
Disney Pixar Cars	CIB	Tested & working
Iron Man	CIB	Tested & working
Just Dance 3 (Wii)	CIB	Nice shape
Just Dance 4 (WiiU)	CIB	Nice shape
Just Dance 2016 (WiiU)	CIB	Nice shape
Kawasaki Quad Bikes	CIB	Tested & working
Looney Tunes ACME Arsenal	CIB	Tested & working
Madden NFL 12	CIB	Tested & working
Mario Kart Wii	CIB	Tested & working
New Super Mario Bros. Wii	CIB	Red box variant. Tested & working
Rapala Tournament Fishing	CIB	Tested & working
Redneck Jamboree	CIB	Tested & working
Super Mario Galaxy	CIB	Manual is a bit tattered at the top corner. Tested & working.
WiiPlay	CIB	Tested & working
Wii Sports Resort	CIB	Tested & working

Nintendo (3)DS

Title	Condition	Notes
Console Zelda Edition DS Lite	Refurbished	Nice overall condition, the top hinge was cracked so I had to replace the top housing, but everything else is original. I'll include the original top housing if you want it, too. Pics
Console Parts DS Lite	FPNW	This is a bag of leftovers from a couple of housing swaps. Bad top casings, cracked top LCD, broken power slider. Surprisingly, the other things all work great on one of them. Lots of decent parts to harvest. Battery, cartridge reader, metal hinge, bottom housing, bottom screen, etc. Pics. I also have the housing and buttons leftover from the other one I shell-swapped, it's black & blue. Ok condition overall.
Console Black DSi	Used	Nice condition, has CFW installed.
Action Replay Max DS	Loose	No cable included

Nintendo Gamecube

Title	Condition	Notes
Accessory Action Replay	Loose	No disc or cable
Extreme-G 3	CIB	Nice condition Pics
Hunter: The Reckoning	Loose	Tested & working
Legend of Zelda, The: Twilight Princess (FPNW)	CIB	It works in the 2 Wii’s I tried it in as well as 3/4 of my personal GameCube consoles. It seems like it has an issue that makes it need a stronger laser to read, but it’s not a lost cause.
Timesplitters 2	CIB	Tested & working

Playstation Portable, Vita

Title	Condition	Notes
Console PSP 3000	Used	Tested & working. Now it has a new battery as well as battery cover on the back. It also includes a Sony M2 Duo adapter, and a 4GB M2 card. The screen has some scuffs on the left side, not visible while playing but they're definitely there. Also includes an aftermarket charger.
Blazing Souls – PSP	Loose	Tested & working
Coded Arms – PSP	CIB	Nice condition
Darkstalkers Chronicle – PSP	Loose	Tested & working
Disgaea Infinite – PSP	Loose	Tested & working
God of War: Chains of Olympus – PSP	Loose	Tested & working
God of War: Ghost of Sparta - PSP	CIB	Tested & working, very nice condition.
Hard Rock Casino – PSP	CIB	Nice condition
Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep - PSP	CIB	Tested & working, very nice condition.
Madden '06 – PSP	Loose	Tested & working
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 – PSP	CIB	Tested & working
Midnight Club 3 – PSP	CIB	Nice condition
Little Big Planet - PSP	CIB	Tested & working, very nice condition.
Lord of Arcana - PSP	UMD & Case only	Tested & working, very nice condition.
Spectral Souls – PSP	Loose	Tested & working
Star Wars Battlefront 2 - PSP	CIB	Tested & working, very nice condition.
Wild Arms XF – PSP	Loose	Tested & working
Worms: Open Warfare – PSP	CIB	Nice condition
Persona 4 Golden - Vita	Loose	Tested & working

SEGA Dreamcast

Title	Condition	Notes
OEM White controller	Accessory	Tested & working
Intec Purple Controller	Accessory	Tested, works fine
Buzz Lightyear: Star Command	Disc only	Tested & working
Centipede	Disc only	Tested & working
Chicken Run	CIB	Great shape
Dave Mirra's Freestyle BMX	CIB	Great shape
Disney's Dinosaur	CIB	Cracked case edge
Jeremy McGrath Supercross	Disc only	Tested & working
NFL Blitz 2001	CIB	Great shape
Quake III Arena	CIB	Great shape
Resident Evil: CODE Veronica	Discs & aftermarket cases	Tested & working
San Francisco Rush	CIB	Great shape
Sega Bass Fishing	CIB	Great shape (Sega All-Stars)
Sega Smash Pack: Volume 1	Disc & case, cracked front lid	Tested & working
Sno-Cross Championship Racing	CIB	Great shape
Super Runabout: SF Edition	CIB	Great shape
Tomb Raider Chronicles	CIB	Great shape
Vigilante 8: Second Offense	CIB	Great shape
Virtua Fighter 3tb	Disc & aftermarket case only	Tested & working
WWE Royal Rumble	CIB	Great shape

WANT
Chrono Trigger (SNES) - I have my childhood cart already, but I'd be interesting in picking up the box & all the inserts if you have them
Pulse 3D Headset (PS5)
Original hard case for PS Vita Slim - my kid broke the hinge on mine and the Amazon replacement is... not good.
Castlevania (GBA) - Looking for all 4 games: NES, Aria of Sorrow, Harmony of Dissonance, Circle of the Moon. Double pack would be great, too.
Mega Man Battle Network games: Network Transmission (NGC), MMBN 2 (GBA), Battle Chip Challenge (GBA), MMBN 4 : Blue Moon (GBA), MMBN 5: Team ProtoMan & Team Colonel(GBA) & Double Team DS (NDS), MMBN 6: Cybeast Gregar (GBA)
Dreamcast OEM Memory Card, Quality Games (Sonic Adventure 2, Skies of Arcadia, etc.)
NES/SNES/N64/GameCube/Switch Offers Note: I currently have most first-party/major release Switch games. Feel free to still offer, though. No interest in Amiibo or Amiibo Cards.

"Mos Eisley Spaceport. Never again will you find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious."
In the original Star Wars, Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina (yeah I just found out what it was actually called, thanks Wookieepedia) introduced us to the breadth of bizarre alien creatures in the Star Wars galaxy, all crammed in a seedy bar on a backwater planet. From the hammer-headed Ithorian designed by Ron Cobb to the devilish Devaronian designed by Rick Baker, Lucas's creative team helped bring a universe of seemingly limitless possibilities to life in one short sequence. The scene has had a number of homages and imitations in other entries of the saga, but how do they all stack up compared to the original and arguably the best?
There's some criteria for what constitutes a "cantina" scene. It has to be some kind of enclosed environment featuring a plethora of unique alien designs with tonnes of visible personality as well as an overall lively though somewhat intimidating atmosphere for the protagonists. I'll be ranking them all out of 10 on the Cantina Factor. I'll only be counting the mainline "episodes" of the saga.
Episode V... doesn't have a cantina scene. The closest thing is the bounty hunter gathering on the Star Destroyer bridge, but... it doesn't really have the same feel and is a bit too brief to count. Move along, move along.
Episode VI, on the other hand, throws us right into the 24/7 partyhouse that it Jabba's Palace. A stew of filth and debauchery surpassing Mos Eisley, you almost feel dirty just looking at this place. Jabba is truly the Fisher King of his establishment, everything is as grimy and seedy as the giant slug himself. We see Jabba's entourage of performers, jesters and burlesque dancers, as well as servants, guards, bounty hunters, VIPs and assorted criminal scum. Compared to Mos Eisley, we get to see this litany of bizarre characters in greater focus, with many turning out to be quite important figures in the expanded universe. The main centres of attraction include: Jabba's pale, weak-minded Twi'lek majordomo Bib Fortuna; the axe-wielding, boar-like Gamorrean Guards; Jabba's cackling jester Salacious B. Crumb; Boba Fett flirting with girls; Oola the sexy Twi'lek slave dancer who's fed to the Rancor; Malakili the Rancor keeper who tenderly weeps when his beloved pet is crushed to death; EV-9D9 the sadistic torture droid; Ephant Mon the horrifically ugly elephant thing who is apparently Jabba's best mate; and last but not least, Max Rebo the cute blue DJ. Bossk the Trandoshan bounty hunter also has a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo. The 1997 Special Edition controversially extends the song-and-dance number with Sy Snootles, replacing her (admittedly awful) puppet with CGI and adding an entirely new singer, Joh Yowza, who obnoxiously mugs the camera during his solo. Overall, the Jabba's Palace scene is in many ways better than the original Mos Eisley cantina scene, but it suffers greatly in the Special Edition... still, nothing can stop it ranking a solid 9/10 on the Cantina Factor.
With an enhanced budget and new fangled digital effects technology, Episode I is basically one long creature-feature. There's not really a single scene quite like Mos Eisley, as nearly every scene seems to have crowds of alien extras wandering around. Ironically, we don't see any cantina-like locations on Tatooine in the film, though the Boonta Eve Classic podrace scene provides us a decent alternative. All of the greatest podracers in the Outer Rim gathered together with their own idiosyncratic vehicles, including Anakin's cruel arch-rival Sebulba, the four-armed Gasgano, and the legend himself Ben Quadrinaros. Pit droids wander around providing some visual comedy. We see Jabba and Gardulla presiding over the event, with live race commentary provided in both Basic and Huttese by the hammy two-headed Fodesinbeed Annodue, a.k.a. Fode and Beed. Anakin's slave friends, including the young Rhodian played by Warwick Davis, also appear to cheer him on. However, considering that the rest of the film shoves so many CGI alien mugs in our faces all the way through, it doesn't have quite as much impact. 6/10.
In Episode II, we get the Outlander Club on Coruscant during Obi-Wan and Anakin's citywide chase for the bounty hunter Zam Wessell. As an avid clubber myself (not so much now, thanks COVID), I naturally like this scene and it's also cool to see the night life on a civilised Core World for once. On the downside, we don't get a good look at many quirky alien characters, but the one who does make an impression is no less than excellent: the deathstick dealer Elan Sleazebaggio. I wonder if he did go home and rethink his life? The scene also started the fan theory that Obi-Wan might be an alcoholic, seeing as he eagerly heads straight to the bar for some shots like the absolute legend he is. The "Jedi causes commotion with lightsaber, everyone looks then just carries on as normal" beat is given a tribute too. Moreover, the Outlander Club is used in an awesome fan film called Hell's Club which mashes together various iconic club scenes from other movies -- Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan encounters Ewan McGregor's Renton from Trainspotting while Tony Manero from Saturday Night Fever leers at Anakin a little too long (also the madness makes Carlito's death no less sad, RIP). 8/10.
Episode III, there isn't one, skip.
Being a soft remake of Episode IV, Episode VII gives us a straightforward cantina scene with Maz Kanata's Castle on Takodana. Takodana might be one of my favourite locations in the whole saga. On paper it's an unremarkable forest planet but there's something... tangible about it. The fact that it was filmed in a real forest and a real set for the castle rather than a greenscreen backdrop definitely helps. Beyond Kanata herself, we see glimpses of some interesting looking characters, including: Grummgar the hulking big game hunter; Bazine Netal the enigmatic First Order spy who rats on BB-8; and most memorable of all, Sidon Ithano a.k.a. The Crimson Corsair, the red-garbed mercenary who Finn offers to join up with. Among the flags adorning the castle, you can also see the emblem of the real life charity organisation, the 501st Legion. Nice touch. Will we ever find out how the Skywalker lightsaber got there though? 9/10.
Episode VIII gives us the controversial Canto Bight on planet Cantonica. I'm very much pro-Canto Bight, it's a perfect 'anti-Mos Eisley'. Rather than a usual wretched hive of destitute criminals, Cantonica is a luxury casino resort filled with the disgusting, decadent elite of the galaxy. Crooks of a different breed. The aesthetic is great, it's all white and clean but filled with some truly repulsive-looking aliens squeezed into tight tuxedos and dresses. Like Finn, it's easy to get lost in the glitz and glamour until you see what it's all built on, then you can cheer when the Fathiers tear it all down. As bad as it all is, a part of me still finds Canto Bight appealing -- I wouldn't mind getting suited and booted and playing a bit of roulette (or the Star Wars verse equivalent of it, idfk) with some fuckin' weird aliens. Speaking of, let's get to some. We've got: Countess Alissyndrex delga Cantonica Provincion, the ruler of the town who can only be described as a purple slab of meat with a human face; Lexo Sooger the long-armed masseur; Slowen Lo the busybody Abendedo who almost destroys the Resistance because Finn and Rose parked on a beach; the Cthulhu-esque Palandag jazz band, somehow weirder than the Modal Nodes from Mos Eisley; Dobbu Scay the diminutive monocled alien who drunkenly mistakes BB-8 for a slot machine, also played by Mark Hamill; Justin Theroux and doll-faced model Lily Cole cameoing as the suave "Master Codebreaker" and his square-haired partner respectively; and of course, Benicio del Toro's "DJ" imprisoned down in the cells. Below the casino itself, we see the abusive slavery practices on both animals and children, with the boy Temiri Blagg revealing himself as Force-sensitive in the ending shot of the film after being inspired by the legend of Luke Skywalker. Whether or not you like its role in the story, it's a damn good alien cantina, 10/10.
Finally, we get to Episode IX. It's easy to miss because of how insanely fast-paced the film is, but yeah, there is a cantina scene on Kijimi, in the Spice Runner Den. I always wondered if this planet is a reference to Hideo Kojima, makes sense considering he and J.J. Abrams are friends, though apparently it's also a reference to some Japanese synthesizer brand. It's nothing to write home about. I mean, yeah, we're introduced to Zorii Bliss and Babu Frik, the best character in the entire trilogy, but what else is there? Oh yeah, a cameo from John freakin' Williams as the bartender Oma Tres. But yeah, apart from that, it's bland and forgettable, there are some aliens dotted around but none of them are focused on particularly. 3/10.
And there you have it. I felt weird about ranking Mos Eisley itself with its own imitators when it originated the whole trope, so I leave that one to you guys. Which is your favourite?

When I was in college I found myself Ubering to make money. This was in Southern California, and LA at the time was a constant flow of work. Occasionally you’d pick people up in a nice area and they’d tell you that they were sleeping with someone in a relationship, or that they themselves were cheating. This was depressingly common. I think that saying what they were doing to someone gave them a weird kind of relief.
Once I drove someone from Hollywood to Hemet, CA. He was very charming, and funny. When I dropped him off it was at a big blue building that they buzzed us into. He left me a $200 cash tip. I later found out this was what is known as “Gold base” for the church of scientology. If you don’t know what that is, it’s a completely normal not weird at all in any way location owned by the church of scientology. Feel free to google it!
A few months into my “taxi” career. Insurance companies started using ride share service, and some people who were more down on their luck would use it. Sometimes this was people just trying to get their kids to school, but sometimes it was much sadder. I can’t tell you how many times I showed up to a doctors office to see someone with accessibility limitations face drop at seeing my tiny car instead of a van like they needed.
The people with substance problems were interactions that would stay with you.
Once I picked a man going to a dental appointment and I drove him for about a half hour. He told me about how he used to run drugs in the 90’s, until they caught him with a few pounds of coke. He told me about when he was moved from Nevada to Florida for trial. How he travelled handcuffed in a van. How the cops would stop only once a day at McDonalds and for their one dollar menu item of the day. He asked me to stop at a liquor store he chugged a tiny bottle of booze, shoved mints into his mouth, then sipped on a soda.
He smelled like pure alcohol when I dropped him off at the dentist.
Near my house there was a methadone clinic. I would get up before dawn to be able to take those rides. (Early bird gets the worm right) Almost always they were sweet, and thankful. Sometimes they were a little out of it but I never felt in danger or anything like that. Just good people going through tough times. These rides were the most consistently depressing.
People who were going to court clearly drunk or high. Older women who had trouble requesting a ride and had been waiting in the parking lot of their dialysis place into the night.
They’d tell their stories sometimes. A person who was going to court for a child custody case, people struggling with mental illness. Some mornings were exhausting.
Being up that early you’d hit another crowd that I had never anticipated. Funeral goers. The saddest funeral ride was when a man and a woman got into my backseat. Rather than speaking to me the man handed me a neon printout of a map of a cemetery with instructions on what plot to go to. With, “Hello, I am attending my father’s funeral. My wife and I are deaf. Please follow these directions.” Written on the back of it.
The whole ride I could hear them signing to one another and trying not to cry.
There were also the retired gamblers. They’d leave their houses at 7 in the morning, take a $70 uber out to the desert, and spend the whole day gambling at the reservation casinos. The desert is where I saw the weirdest things.
The desert was the only place I had ever felt scared driving. It was in Temecula the “wine country” of so cal. Lots of wooded roads and desert. I picked up a lady just off the freeway at what I initially assumed was the edge of a golf resort but it was an unpaved access road. It was late and that area was especially dark. I was getting ready to call the passenger I saw them coming down the unpaved access road.
It was a tall blonde woman in a very nice pant suit. She was absurdly put together considering she had walked god knows how long in heels down a dirt rock road. She got into the car and was very pleasant. She said she lived in a gated community that was hard to get Ubers too and it was easier to send me to the access road. I thought it was weird but I did not want to be creepy asking about where she lived.
She was friendly, chatty even. She was going to a dinner party, and as she spoke to me I could feel her looking at me in the rearview mirror the entire ride. We drove a half hour away from the freeway. To one of those rural chic neighborhoods that you would hear celebrities had huge parties at.
Eventually we reached the “address” which was a paved road lined with trees. She told me to keep driving and I didn’t think much of it because again we were in a mansion style neighborhood. We hit a white ranch style fence after a minute or so going down the road.
That was the when I started to feel a bit uneasy. There were around a dozen no trespassing signs, and one of those classic “Forget the dog, beware of owner” signs with a guy pointing a pistol at you. I thought it was more than a little blunt to have that many signs but hey not my property.
We drove for about a minute when we came to another fence. It was at the top of a hill and it overlooked a barn with some lights in the distance. I know this sounds weird but it was unpleasant. I couldn’t put my finger on it. It was just a barn with what looked like a barbecue going on. But being out in the woods without any light had freaked me out.
The passenger told me I could just slide the gate open. As I approached the fence, I saw some signs that made me stop cold.
Off to the side of the gate, not quite in the dark, but on the fringes of my headlights. There were metal signs with bullet holes through them. Swaztikas, and confederate flags brightly displayed.
So-Cal has a lot of white supremacist pockets. I had dropped off dozens of passengers in Cities like Norco, and driven down streets with people drinking in the garage, and a nazi flag proudly hung behind them. It wasn’t my favorite but I wasn’t spending any time in those neighborhoods more than I needed to. This was different though.
It was after 11pm at night, and I had no idea where I was. I opened the gate , and down the road I saw what I assume were cellphone flashlights lighting up and coming up the incline. This made me very uncomfortable. I went back and I told the woman that I didn’t think my car could make it back up the hill if I went down it.
“What are you talking about? Just take me it’s right there.”
She was getting more heated and I could see the lights slowly making their way up the hill.
She kept telling me I needed to cancel the ride, and that she wouldn’t pay to not be taken the entire way. I told her the pin I was supposed to take her too was a mile back up the road, but I was so nervous I relented and cancelled on my end. She slammed the door as she got out.
I took off before I could see the cellphone light people get closer. The road back was much rougher at the speed I was going at. I felt a bump that felt like I hit a body but I kept going. My car was driving like shit but I kept driving till I was past the fence, out of the rich neighborhood until I stopped at a gas station. My right rear tire was fucked up, and I needed to change it.
There was a few nails that looked like they had been attached to a piece of wood on my tire. I was freaked out so hard and sometimes I wish I had called the cops and reported it. But of course all that happened was I got a flat on a back road, and I didn’t want to spend the rest of my night waiting on a cop car.
I know it’s far more likely that I freaked myself out than a bunch of nazis planning to mess with a random Uber driver. But when I pick up a well dressed businesswoman from a remote location, and drop her off at a separate remote location, gives me chills that I have trouble explaining to this day.

DCNext Proudly Presents…!

COASTGUARD

Issue #9: Those Whose Sins Mark Their Bodies

Written by Fortanono
Edited by dwright5252, AdamantAce
<< Previous | Next >>
≈≈≈≈≈ 🔱 ≈≈≈≈≈
Meet-and-greets were always Marc Silvera’s favorite part of the day. Back in his youth, he loved the thrill of heroism, the adrenaline that came with fighting against dangerous people and bringing them to justice. Now, it was much less about adrenaline as it was before; he got his enjoyment from knowing that he made others’ lives just a little bit safer, helping them sleep more easily. Luckily, Josiah Power’s booths in the Polynesia Resort’s cafeteria boiled that right down to a science.
Dan and Courtney would always get the most fans, considering that they ran their own media platforms at one point; Helga and Curtis would occasionally hang around his booth for the fans. Ray and Thunder each had their own devoted lines, with their fans from Tulsa and Metropolis often making pilgrimages to New Coast to visit them. The ceremonially empty booth to the left of Marc was there for Vibe, who had attracted a lot of people placing down flowers and mementos, paying their respects. It was still hard for Marc to believe that he was really gone.
Marc’s was always the shortest line. He knew why; for a long time, the second Commander Steel was a small-town urban legend whose existence was unconfirmed. The name was also associated with a military group that many disapproved of or outright loathed, Marc himself chief among them after all these years, who was a willing participant in it. Finally, there was the third reason: Commander Steel was not a welcoming figure to most. His helmet kept out any sign that he was even a human, which was no longer a valid assumption for superheroes. In a lot of ways, he understood why children would even be scared of him. He liked to pretend that this didn’t bother him, but he knew deep down that it did, just a little.
Even still, he did have several people who came over to meet him. A tall woman with red hair and excessive amounts of makeup walked up to him, her young son in tow. He couldn’t have been more than seven years old, Marc thought. He sat down on a wooden chair nearby and smiled behind his mask.
“Hello there,” Marc chuckled. “What’s your name, young man?”
“Collin,” he smiled, hiding his face in his hands, his dirty mop of red hair covering his eyes.
Marc laughed heartily, almost as if he were a mall Santa. He felt like the kids needed to know that he wasn’t as scary as he seemed behind the mask, and laughing was the best way of doing that. Collin couldn’t see how wide he was smiling behind the visage, the tear of joy running down one of his eyes. “Now Collin, why don’t you sit on my lap and we can take a picture together?”
“Yeah!” Collin said. “I love you, Commander Steel. I want to be a superhero like you when I grow up.”
“Oh, is that so?” Marc said joyfully, smiling as Collin climbed up into his lap. He hid a grimace; as much as he enjoyed the job, seeing someone so young determined to be someone who put their life on the line was very off-putting to him. The camera flashed, taking a picture of Collin with his hero, and Marc just let the moment rush over him.
“Remember to enjoy your stay at New Coast Polynesia Resort!” he called out behind them as they left the line. He always felt weird saying that, but Josiah told them to, and it wasn’t like he didn’t want them to have a fun vacation.
The next person moved forward in the line, a teenage boy wearing a camo button-down shirt. “Hey, Commander Steel,” he said gleefully. “You’re so awesome. It’s so cool that I get to meet you.”
Marc went through the rounds, but he wasn’t focused on the boy anymore. Instead, Marc stared transfixed as the next woman in line, a middle-aged Black woman with a short bob of shoulder-length grey hair, wearing a black dress with grey and blue accents. His stomach dropped as he finished up with the kid in camo, turning to the woman in front of him.
“Jenna,” he said, coming out as little more than a breath. He stood up from his chair. “Why are you here?”
“Trust me,” she said with her lips pursed. “I didn’t want to come just as much as you probably don’t want to see me. Something came up.”
Marc stared at her, not saying anything.
“Richards’ sentence is up,” Jenna muttered coldly. “I was hoping he’d changed, but he’s on a bus straight to New Coast. I just wanted to warn you and your team, knowing what he’s capable of.”
“Yes, of course,” Marc said as his former wife left the line. He turned to her and called out as she walked away. “Hey, hey, you have a fantastic rest of your life, whatever you’re doing.” She didn’t respond.
Marc turned to the next guest, his mind not fully there. As his experience with Jenna faded from his mind, he realized that something much worse was about to happen, and he had to warn the team about it.
≈≈≈≈≈ 🔱 ≈≈≈≈≈
“Okay,” Curtis said, his back against the wall of Room 103. The members of Coastguard were gathered in their costumes, having come back from the meet-and-greet minutes earlier. “A quick recap on the Phosphorus situation for Courtney: We’ve been able to take out some street-level guys who were peddling narcotics, but none of them claimed they had ever seen the man’s face. He apparently keeps very little company; only those he trusts ever see who he truly is.”
“By the way,” Anissa said, “Congrats to Courtney for the awesome work she’s done in Opal City! We’re starting to see headlines roll in, and it’s very impressive.” Immediately, everyone in the room around them began to clap and cheer, turning to Courtney who was sitting in her new red-and-green costume.
Courtney looked between her teammates and smiled. “Thanks guys,” she said. “It means a lot.” She turned to Curtis, her expression turning more serious. “Anything on ThirteenthFloor? That seemed like a really big deal when I left, but no mention of it so far.”
Curtis nodded. “Yeah, yeah, that’s a thing. Helga and I are working on reverse-engineering the tech in the buildings, but no results yet. Anyone else have pressing concerns?”
Helga raised her hand. “As you may recall,” she began, “Acrata managed to escape from New Coast after arrest. I recently received word that she may be returning to the city, planning something big. If you spot her, do not be light when apprehending her, and bring her to me as soon as you can.”
“Dammit,” Dan said. “I was hoping I’d never have to see her again. That fight kept me sore for days. We’ll be on the lookout if she returns.”
“Anything else?” Curtis asked.
Marc removed his mask and raised his hand slowly. “Yes,” he said meekly. “Unfortunately, there’s… someone else has shown up here. An old enemy. Curtis, bring up records for Mark Richards, also known as the Tattooed Man.”
Curtis turned to a nearby monitor and began searching the web. He pulled out a mugshot of a tall, bald man with a tattoo of a dragon coiled around the top of his head. On the side of one of his cheeks was another tattoo, a small piece that resembled a rose with a thorny stem. “This your guy?”
“Yes,” Marc said. He stood up and took a deep breath, addressing his teammates. “A long time ago, I lived in a small town in Maryland called Liberty Hill. Standard small-town fare; most of the criminals were just normal people who had a bad run. This man was different. He showed up, and within months he had killed any gang members who didn’t work for him. With every man he murdered, he got a new tattoo, and these weren’t ordinary tattoos. They gave him powers, and every time I fought him he had a new trick up his sleeve.”
He sighed and paused before continuing. “I became obsessed with him. It was unhealthy, and it cost me my marriage. Finally, 15 years ago, I caught him. He served his time, and now it seems like he’s come back for revenge. I'd like to humbly request your help in finding him and making sure he doesn't cause further harm. Mark Richards is incredibly dangerous, and we need to treat any encounter we have with him with utmost caution. He will kill us if we don’t.”
The room fell silent for a few seconds before Curtis broke the silence. “Okay,” he said. “The Tattooed Man, Public Enemy Number One. Don’t worry, Marc; we will make sure that we stop him before he can hurt us.”
≈≈≈≈≈ 🔱 ≈≈≈≈≈
Mark Richards knocked on the door of a townhouse in what looked like any other upscale neighborhood. This development was designed by one of Josiah Power’s friends, he had remembered, but it had never seen use as the designer’s company went down for fraud several months ago. Even though it looked like an ordinary housing development, a far cry from the tourist trap in New Coast’s city center, it was also the home of many of New Coast’s more sinister elements. With the development never having been in use, it was the perfect place for shadowy figures to hide in such a bright city.
The skull on Mark’s forearm sensed some sort of danger. Mark willed it to be quiet as a young woman, tall and lanky with blonde hair and blue accents, opened the door. She seemed to have a lot of tattoos herself. “Wow,” she said, staring at him up and down. “I’m going to need the name of your inker. That is some good art.”
“I’ve had a lot of inkers,” Mark chuckled. “My first tattoo was from a slave-driver in Moldora. The second one was from a serial killer. I tend to get them from the worst of the worst, and it pays off.”
“Ooh, nice,” she said. “I take it you’re here to see the big man? I’m sure he’ll be glad to see you. You should hope so, at least.”
Mark nodded. “I believe we already had an appointment scheduled.”
“You are correct,” she laughed. “He's been talking about you all day.”
Mark walked into the house and down the corridor to a room at the end. If an ordinary homeowner lived here, the room he entered would probably be furnished as a dining room, possibly as a playroom for their children. However, the New Coast crime lord that lived here had turned the room into a sort of makeshift casino; slot machines padded the sides of the walls while a poker table served as the room’s centerpiece.
In the far corner were two couches, on one of which sat the man Mark presumed to be Phosphorus. He looked young and arrogant at first glance, reminding Mark of a cocky kid who thought he could run a business back in Liberty Hill, but who would always fall to Mark in the end. The heart tattoo on the left side of Mark’s chest came from him; his sins were driven by his heart rather than his brain, and that’s why Mark had defeated him. It was a fitting tattoo to remember him by. The major difference between Phosphorus and that kid was abundantly clear, though. Phosphorus wore an unbuttoned white jacket with no shirt; across his chest and extending down his left arm, his skin glowed a brilliant red-orange. Underneath the glow, Mark could see his ribcage, lit up by the man’s special ability.
“Heh, on time I see,” Phosphorus chuckled. “I knew I could count on you.”
Mark took a seat on the couch across from the crime lord. “Of course,” he said. “This business is always about impressions, and I’ve come to know that that means dependability as well as fear. Meet your opponents first, before you destroy them. And I believe that in a couple of months, I may have to destroy you.”
“So it’s true then,” Phosphorus said. “You’re gonna hang around a while? That’s unfortunate. Oh well.”
“Nice to meet you. I’d shake your hand, but I’ve been told that’s not really a good idea.” Mark stretched out on the couch, throwing his arms behind his back. “So you’re the Phosphorus, huh? I expected someone a little older to have been behind the work you’ve done. It’s impressive.”
“Call me Alec,” Phosphorus said. He paused for a second. “I’m old enough. Besides, I’ve got a damn good reason why I’m doing this. Pardon the wordplay, but it’s a fire in my heart, so to speak, y’know? A drive.”
Before Mark could respond, Alec’s breathing started tensing up. He turned his head to the doorway of the room. “Melanie! Food!” he shouted. The blonde woman from before quickly came over with a man in a suit, tied up and restrained. She dropped him at Alec’s feet before leaving, not saying a single word.
The man’s expression turned frantic. “No, wait, please. Do anything. Ta--take my kids, instead. My wife. I can help you!” He was quickly shut up by Alec’s searing-hot left hand on his mouth, as the man quickly vaporized into thin air. Only a skeleton remained of where he was once standing.
“Wow,” Mark said, shaking his head. “That is impressive, I have to say. Not exactly a good dude there, either. Guess you know how to pick ‘em.”
“Yeah,” Alec laughed. “I only eat the rich types, people who have no spine or soul. That, and people who disappoint me, of course.” Alec paused for a second. “You know, I never wanted to be a criminal. I started this because I had to; if I don’t feed, I’ll die, and feeding ain’t exactly something you want to do in the open. But now? I’d say it feels pretty good. Not perfect, y’know? But it’s getting there.”
Mark nodded. “I get it, I really do. You know, you and I have the same power, so to speak.”
Alec gave him a confused look.
Mark cleared his throat. “I was on deployment in Moldora several years ago. I was a young soldier, about your age, and I had just killed a few men for the first time. Every day, their voices screamed in my head. So we were taking down this horrible waste of a human being; he had enslaved thousands of men, women and children to work for the worst kind of people. And the night before the raid, I asked him how he did it. That man showed me the art of sin-grafting; for every sin he committed, he added just a bit more ink to his body. He kept the memories of those he killed in the tattoos. Well, I thought it was bullshit, but then he tattooed this dragon onto me.” He pointed at his first and favorite tattoo, the dragon that coiled around his bald head.
“From that day on, whenever I kill someone, I tattoo myself with something to remind me of them. And I always use this special ink, which gives the tattoo life. Power. Doesn’t make it right, but it makes it damn near worth it. Now you, you have to kill people to live. I dunno how you got into that predicament, but you realized the same thing I did. If you get power from your sins, then it’s more than worth committing them, don’tcha think?”
Alec’s expression soured. “I think you’re fucking wrong about me,” he said. He stood up, towering over Mark. The skull on his shoulder sensed that he was in an incredible amount of danger. Mark said nothing; he wanted to see where this would go.
“I’m not a monster,” Alec huffed. “I was a good kid who wanted to do the right thing, and this bitch made me into who I am now. And my father just lets her stay by his side. He doesn’t notice shit. He doesn’t realize who that woman is. And so I’m here to fucking destroy the city he’s created, to burn it down to the bedrock on which it stands.”
Mark raised an eyebrow. “Your father is Josiah Power? I see it. I think you’ll realize you’re a lot more like him than you imagine.”
Alec lunged at Mark, nearly putting a hand on him. Acting quickly, Mark summoned the dragon from the tattoo on his head. Immediately, the ink turned into a violet energy construct of a serpent, lunging forward at Alec and releasing a sonic blast. Alec flew across the room, landing among the slot machines on the other wall.
“See, you’ve got this terrifying power,” Mark chided. “But I got so many years on you it’s hard to imagine. That, Alec, is why I will take this city.”
Alec writhed in pain as Mark stood over him and left. This was not the pain he felt when he hadn’t fed in a while, nor was it the pain he felt from Mark knocking him into the wall. No, this was omnipresent, coating every nerve of his body like it did when he was hungry, but ten times stronger. He cried out, bringing himself to his feet and stumbling out the door of the room. He had someone he needed to see.
≈≈≈≈≈ 🔱 ≈≈≈≈≈
“Help,” Alec gulped, grabbing Helga’s wrist in the hallway of the New Coast Polynesia Resort. He was wearing gloves, of course; he couldn’t let anyone else know about his abilities. Nearly collapsing, Alec straightened himself using Helga’s body as a support.
“Alec,” Helga said, faking a smile. “You know, you are the last person I expected to see today. I have to say, I am very impressed with what you’ve managed to accomplish with your abilities. Seems like they’re treating you better than I had expected.” She paused for a second, looking around for bystanders. There were none. “Come into Room 104 with me, and we can talk. I don’t want to have to do to any others what I did to you.”
The two of them walked further down the hall, entering Helga’s personal lab as Helga closed the door behind him. It was just as pristine, Alec thought, as the one Helga had imprisoned him in, although it was considerably smaller. Alec had only seen the inside of this lab from the small glimpse he had gotten when he had asked Helga to help save the day. The worst mistake of his life, Alec thought. He cared about his father for one moment, wanted to help save his life, and it cost him gravely.
“I take it you have questions about your newfound powers?” Helga turned to the door and latched it shut. “Don’t worry; I’ve soundproofed the room much better since our last encounter. I could yell at the top of my lungs that you were Phosphorus, and Curtis in the next room wouldn’t do so much as to look up from his computer.”
Alec nodded. “You said that this power would kill me. Everything’s starting to hurt like a bitch; I fed on my way here and it didn’t help. I need answers.”
“Well,” Helga said, “I wish I could give you all the answers you need. Primer is a very imprecise science, and it reacts differently for every person that it works on. That being said, none of the powers triggered by your specific primer have killed anyone in less than 6 months. Trust me when I say I’ve done extensive research on this one.”
Alec winced. He imagined Helga Jace, the kind hearted TV personality dedicated to treating people with metahuman conditions, giving hundreds of people the same treatment he had. It made so little sense, but with what he had seen of Helga in the past few months, it still fit perfectly.
Helga continued as Alec sat himself down on a nearby hospital bed draped in thin paper. “That being said, any sort of pain you might experience is par for the course, and none of it is a sign of your impending death. Most of it will make you want to die, but you’ll be fine for several more months at least. Now, unfortunately, I still have work to do that my team can’t know about, so curing you would not benefit me. But so far, you’ve been exemplary in your discretion about these matters. Not to mention the immense distraction you’re providing for them; they barely have time to think about anything I’m doing.”
Alec nodded. He resisted attacking Helga outright, as he knew she was his only chance at salvation. That did not mean that he wasn’t ready to do so. Instead, he looked her in the eyes and weakly spoke. “Will this new pain go away?”
“Hard to tell. I could help run some tests, but as hard as it may seem to imagine, I don’t know everything about every power that comes my way. Most likely, though, there will be high points and low points, as there are with every disease. I can tell from your demeanor, for example, that you’re feeling significantly less pain than when you literally grabbed me, even if it doesn’t feel that way. By the way, don’t scare an old lady like that, especially with your specific ability.” Helga chuckled wildly. Alec felt sick to his stomach, even though these past few months had hardened him. This, he thought, was what true monsters looked like.
“Fine,” Alec said, standing up. “You know what? I don’t need any more help. I got money, I got power, I got ladies, and it’s all because of your experiment. When the power does start to kill me, I’ll be here. But until then, I’m not coming through this door again.”
Alec left Room 104 and began to leave the hotel. Helga was right; as he got up, the pain had begun to fade. After a few seconds, it had all but disappeared for the time being. He got to the lobby, where he immediately noticed a new complication. Josiah Power, his father, was standing over the desk, talking to the receptionist. Before he could turn the other way, he saw Alec standing there. He fell silent, his gaze softening.
“Alec,” he muttered, coming closer. “I thought… I thought you left the city.”
The rage that Alec felt that first night in the hotel began to bubble up again, but he kept it down. “Hey, Dad. Yeah, I was gone for a while, but I’m… I couldn’t leave.” He paused, considering his next words carefully. “I think I’m ready to talk to you again.”
“That’s fantastic,” Josiah smiled. “Take your time; you don’t owe me anything. But if you want, maybe we could get dinner sometime?”
Alec nodded. “I think I’d like that.” It was a lie, he told himself; he had to come up with something on the spot. But it worked in his favor; if he had a relationship with his father again, the betrayal would be much sweeter when he got to that point. He couldn’t wait to see Josiah’s face as he realized who he truly was. But that had to wait.
As he left the lobby, he smiled. The pain may come back, but those who deserved it would also feel his pain in due time.
≈≈≈≈≈ 🔱 ≈≈≈≈≈
”Alright,” Curtis said through his microphone. ”We’ve spotted the Tattooed Man in Kim’s area. Anyone currently in the field, converge on 44th Street and H. We need to take him down sooner than later.”
“Got it,” Ray said, hovering high above Josiah’s central shopping district in New Coast before taking off due west. Below him, Thunder, Blue Devil and Commander Steel patrolled the streets; each of them began to make their way to the location in question through a series of Dan’s portals. As he arrived on location, Ray began to take in the sites around him.
The area of the city that one of Josiah’s associates, Terrence Kim, developed felt much more like a normal city than a theme park. That said, it still felt like a theme park, if only because of how sleek and untouched the buildings were. Towering white-and-blue skyscrapers surrounded the wide streets of this area, with tropical foliage in planter boxes along the sidewalks. Palm trees dotted the curbsides, which featured parking spaces where the cars would face the curb. What took Ray by surprise the most, however, was how empty this part was. Not all of Kim’s territory was available to the public yet; only the bare minimum was completed.
Ray landed on the street as Dan, Anissa and Marc portalled in behind him. Several blocks ahead of them, the Tattooed Man was smoking a cigar. He quickly noticed them and put it out before turning to them.
The Tattooed Man let out a hearty chuckle as he took a few steps forward. “Well, well, well. You finally found me. Hey Marc, how’s the missus doing? You know, I could tell that she was stalking me when I got out. I served my time, why do I need to get harassed for what I’ve already done?”
“Seems like it was well worth it,” Commander Steel said. “Considering where you ended up, Mark, you can’t take the high ground here..”
“This small talk was never my favorite part. Let’s get this over with.” Two violet wings of energy sprouted from the Tattooed Man’s back, allowing him to tower over the other heroes. Ray immediately met him in the sky. From a sword tattoo on his left arm, he summoned a blade of energy that he immediately gripped with both hands before charging at Ray.
Ray dodged the Tattooed Man’s first attack, responding with a barrage of light blasts. From the ground, Commander Steel fired his own bolts of energy from the wrist-cannons Helga had designed for him. The sword dissolved and was replaced by a shield that grew from a small tattoo on the back of the criminal’s left hand. For several seconds, the Tattooed Man sustained the heroes’ continuous fire, but it was interrupted when the Blue Devil portalled onto the shield and began punching at it over and over again. The Tattooed Man dissolved the shield and dived out of the way, flying higher to avoid further attacks. Ray chased after him and Dan portalled himself back onto the ground.
“Now this, this is fun,” the villain chuckled to himself. “Marc, why couldn’t you learn to fly, or build some glider or something? Sky battles are awesome!” The dragon on the top of the Tattooed Man’s head came loose, chasing after Ray. He fired out a concentrated beam of light while flying away, but the dragon kept going. Before he could stop it, the dragon screamed, letting loose a powerful high-pitched sound, and Ray fell to the floor.
The Tattooed Man landed on the ground, his wings dissolving as he stood over the fallen hero. “Now this will be a fun one to ink. I wonder, how should I remember you by? I’d do a lightbulb, but I don’t think you’re that bright to begin with.”
A bolt of energy from Marc’s cannon stopped the villain from finishing Ray off, hitting his right shoulder and making him turn to the other heroes. Thunder leapt up onto the side of a nearby high-rise, tackling the criminal from behind as he was distracted. She began to force a pair of handcuffs onto him, but the Tattooed Man quickly summoned his wings again, knocking Thunder down as he turned to the skies.
The lightning tattoo on the villain’s right arm began to let out a violet glow. From the skies, he fired powerful beams of lightning. The first hit Anissa, knocking her down; the second and third were fired at Commander Steel. A metal shield expanded from the hero’s own right arm, protecting him. As the Tattooed Man flew down, a portal from the Blue Devil intercepted him and brought him face-to-face with the two heroes left standing.
The Tattooed Man readied another bolt, knocking Dan clean out. “Now,” he chided, “it’s just the two of us. Like old times, isn’t it?” He resummoned the sword and began exchanging blows with the soldier. Commander Steel quickly discharged another energy blast, which knocked the Tattooed Man a few steps backwards as he began to charge up another lightning bolt.
He stopped. The skull tattoo on his shoulder began to sense another presence nearby.
From above, another hero flew down, clad in a pristine silver costume with glowing accents. In the center was the letter “T” in a circle, clearly the symbol of the hero Mister Terrific. He glided on what looked like two green glowing disks that appeared to be made of pure energy. He looked down at some sort of holographic console emanating from his wrist. The Tattooed Man quickly recognized that this must be the Blue Devil’s associate, the one who once worked for Mister Terrific. The villain was used to recognizing Commander Steel’s body language, even behind that mask of his, and he knew that his enemy was just as surprised as he was.
The new hero’s drones quickly surrounded the Tattooed Man, opening fire with green laser-blasts all around him. The Tattooed Man couldn’t take it, and quickly fell unconscious himself.
”Hey,” Curtis said as he flew down. ”I noticed you needed help.”
≈≈≈≈≈ 🔱 ≈≈≈≈≈
“So, wait,” Ray began to say as the heroes converged in Room 103. Helga had just finished performing medical care on the three members of Coastguard who were knocked out during the battle, and they were now calling a meeting to discuss what had happened. “You’re--you’re a hero now? When?”
Curtis nodded. “Not always; I’ll be on comms for a lot of the time. But when you guys need it, Helga and I developed this suit. I’ll be calling myself the Technocrat.”
“Cool,” Ray said. He poked at the Technocrat suit, which was standing up in the corner of the room, connected to a charger.
“I’d have to disagree,” Anissa said. “Curtis, you’re incredibly important to us. We can’t risk something happening to you.”
Curtis nodded. “Well, unfortunately, it’s not really your choice. I’ll make extra sure to choose my battles; don’t worry. But it’s important to me that you are all safe. The Tattooed Man would’ve killed all of you if I hadn’t come out there. And with Courtney in Opal half the time and Cisco… you know… we need more hands on deck.”
“He would’ve killed you, too, if he had known you were coming,” Anissa remarked. “And now, everyone who comes to New Coast will know about you. Nothing’s changed; you just had the element of surprise this time.”
Dan, who was sitting in the corner, finally spoke up. “Look,” he said. “I get why you’re worried, Anissa, I really do. I’m worried, too; like, really terrified outta my mind that my friend’s gonna get hurt doing this. But if there’s someone who can pull off this stuff, it’s Curtis. I wouldn’t try and stop him, either; he’s a very stubborn man.”
“Alright,” Anissa huffed. “But I’m not gonna like it.”
“The only question,” Marc laughed, “is what flavor of ice cream he’s gonna be. I can’t think of any grey ice-creams.”
“That’s for Josiah to figure out,” Curtis smiled. “If I had to pick? Probably mint chocolate-chip. All of your weird fruit flavors are upsetting to the palate.”
Everyone laughed around them, except for Anissa. It still didn’t feel right for Curtis to be going out there, and she knew that feeling wouldn’t change. But they were right; she had to deal with it.
≈≈≈≈≈ 🔱 ≈≈≈≈≈
Mark Richards woke up. His surroundings didn’t feel familiar, but they clearly weren’t any sort of prison. The building he found himself in was some sort of makeshift cabin made of wood. He was tied to a wooden chair on a grass floor. He looked at the ceiling; above him, the panels of wood were ornately painted in patterns of green and silver.
“Where am I?” he asked, dazed.
A man walked over to him in a red-and-brown robe. Draped over him was a green cape decorated with one glowing red gemstone on it. The first thing Mark noticed about his face was his two piercing green eyes, which seemed to see into his soul.
“Greetings, Mark,” the man said. “I know you have many questions, but trust me when I say I am not an enemy.”
Mark chuckled dryly. “When I’m tied to a chair like this, that’s usually hard to imagine.”
“We both know that those bindings would not hold you if you did not want them to,” the man said in a monotone voice. “We simply had to restrain you, as you tended to flail around when unconscious.” He walked over to Mark and untied the knots that kept him tied to the chair. “My name is Samuel, and we have the same goals: to destroy Coastguard and to rule New Coast City. I am gathering people close to the Coastguard, people with vendettas against their members. You fit these criteria easily; another one of these people has already been clamoring to meet you.”
A tall, thin man with pale skin and dark hair walked over to him. He wore a suit and tie that had clearly been hastily put on. Mark stood up and shook his hand.
“Hi,” he smiled, speaking in a nasal voice. “Michael Clarion, occultist extraordinaire. Pleased to meet you. I also just got out of prison. Now, I have a lot of questions about your tattoos. They are mystical in origin, correct? I’m very interested to discuss the finer points of this with you.”